Starbucks fired six New York state workers in retaliation for unions, according to an NLRB judge.
According to the judge, the firm violated federal labour law at its Buffalo and Rochester stores.
The coffee chain has been ordered to rehire the former employees and compensate other affected individuals.
Starbucks responded that its actions were legal and consistent with its policies.
Starbucks told, “We believe the decision and the remedies ordered are inappropriate given the history of this case. And we are evaluating all of our options to seek further legal review.”
Federal Administrative Law Judge Michael A. Rosas gave a 200-page decision ordering Starbucks to rehire an illegally terminated employee.
According to Mr. Rosas, Starbucks responded to union campaigns with “a general disregard for the employees’ fundamental liberties.”
The judge added that the company interrogated and threatened employees and prohibited pay-related conversations.
In addition, the company routinely dispatched high-ranking personnel to stores “to more closely supervise, monitor, or create the impression that employees’ union activities are under surveillance,” he said.
The NLRB is an independent federal agency with the authority to protect employees’ right to unionize at work.
Michael Sanabria, a Starbucks barista in Buffalo, referred to the decision as “such a monumental victory for us and the labor movement as a whole.
“The decision is the result of months of tireless organizing by workers… demanding better working conditions in the face of historic, monumental, and now declared illegal union-busting,” said Michelle Eisen, a barista at another Starbucks location in Buffalo.
Despite opposition from the company, workers at approximately 270 Starbucks stores across the United States voted to join unions last year. In the United States, Starbucks owns approximately 9,000 stores.
Union activists charge the company of stalling negotiations and violating labour laws to crush the movement.
Starbucks, which has long taken delight in its reputation as a progressive and employee-friendly employer, has stated that it respects the right of workers to protest.
In response to employee discontent, the company has increased pay and made other adjustments in recent months.
