Labor Board seeks unionization at Starbucks after lost election

The National Labor Relations Board seeks to order Starbucks to recognize a union at the Buffalo-area store where the union had lost an initial vote last year. This move is part of a larger effort by the labor board to scrutinize Starbucks' response to a nationwide union campaign. 

In a complaint against the company on Thursday, the agency accused Starbucks of intimidating and retaliating against workers seeking to unionize. It might seem "aggressive" for the board to order the company to bargain at a store where the union didn’t win. But, Matthew Bodie, a former labor board lawyer says it is, within the normal range of remedies for such cases. He added, "The complaint sends a message."

Since December, workers at more than 70 Starbucks stores have voted to unionize and they have filed petitions to hold union elections at more than 150 additional cafes. Meanwhile, the regional office monitoring Buffalo issued a complaint two weeks ago accusing Starbucks of firing employees because they supported a union. The company has also been accused of promising benefits to employees as a way to discourage them from unionizing and intimidating workers who sought to unionize by subjecting them to surveillance and other illegal behavior. 

Source: The New York Times