Starbucks
The report accuses the coffee titan of surveilling, harassing, and slashing the hours of union advocates and retaliatory firings against organizers. In the report, the NLRB also noted that the company had approached current and former employees with promises of various benefits if they refrained from unionizing, with alleged benefits ranging from increased wages to store renovations.
As some experts have noted, the complaint will likely result in the NLRB taking Starbucks to court, especially with Starbucks refuting the regulator's claims. However, the company's efforts could be complicated by interim CEO Howard Schultz, whose recent decision to offer stores that do not unionize better benefits and pay directly mirrors the complaints made in the report. Even before the NLRB filed its complaint, Workers United accused Schultz of violating the Fair Labor Standards Act, which prohibits employers from issuing new benefits while bargaining with a union.
Starbucks' decision to exclude unionizing employees will likely warrant an even more exhaustive investigation by the NLRB than in New York, which wouldn't bode well for the company given its continual losses to regulators. The company faces steep costs to its reputation as well, with its protracted anti-labor struggle becoming noticeable enough to catch the attention of even the Biden administration. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh welcomed Starbucks and Amazon
Starbucks shares are up slightly for the week, having been jarred by the company's union struggles. Stocks were flat through Monday and Tuesday, popping 6.8% on Wednesday, before seeing much of that brief burst eroded by the end of the week. Starbucks shares ended the week with a modest 1.33% gain.
