Starbucks Gets Sued by US Labor Agency for Mistreating Seattle Workers — Retail Bum

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has sued Starbucks for refusing to rehire the 33 workers it fired as part of reorganizing its stores in the Seattle area.

According to a petition filed in the Seattle federal court, Starbucks asked 73 workers to reapply for their jobs when it reorganized three downtown Seattle stores, including its flagship store in Pike Place Market. NLRB argues that Starbucks’ response was an illegal attempt at busting unionization efforts at one of its stores.

NLRB is demanding the coffee giant to offer jobs to the 33 employees with back pay and benefits, Reuters reported.

In response to the lawsuit, Starbucks has defended its actions and noted that workers can freely choose to unionize through elections supervised by NLRB.

[The agency’s proposed remedies] “run contrary to the interests of our (employees) and threaten the hometown experience we offer our customers,” Starbucks said. “We look forward to defending the establishment of our Heritage District.”

The lawsuit points to the company’s growing tension with its labor force. Last month, employees at dozens of Starbucks stores went on strike to protest not being allowed to celebrate Pride month by hanging decor and other paraphernalia.

As of last year, the company reportedly operated 15,873 stores in the U.S., 7,265 of which directly operated, while 6,608 were licensed. The company employs 248,000 people at its company-operated stores.

Originally published at https://retailbum.com on July 11, 2023.