Starbucks Union Says Howard Schultz Violated the Law In an Interview with the New York Times –

The union, which represents Starbucks employees at about 150 stores, has accused CEO Howard Schultz of violating labor law. Public lecture This week he filed a complaint against the New York Times and the company with the National Council on Labor Relations.

Starbuck Workers United said in a conversation with reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin at the Times ’DealBook DC Policy Forum on Thursday that Schultz had threatened to reject a bona fide deal with the union. The Upload Depends on comments Schultz made when discussing his relationship with coffee chain employees in the context of the union campaign.

“We need to show our people that they can trust us,” Schultz said, prompting Sorkin to ask if he could think of “doing it and joining the union.”

Schultz replied emphatically: “No”.

Both the union and the employer are obligated to engage in meaningful dialogue when entering into a contract. The union said Schultz’s statements indicated it had no intention of doing so and sent a message to staff that the union would be “useless.” The transfer of vanity to workers is also considered an unfair employment practice under the law of collective bargaining.

Schultz told Sorkin that he could not tolerate the union as part of his vision because “we are committed to exceeding our customers’ expectations.” He said that “the customer experience is extremely challenging and” low “if a third party is integrated into our business.”

This observation appears to have been the basis for the union’s third lawsuit against Schultz: “that it posed an implicit or real threat that Starbucks would lose business because consumers would go elsewhere if workers joined.”

A Starbucks spokesman declined to comment.

In an interview with Sorkin, Schultz said the organization’s efforts have challenged the company’s relationship with its employees and Starbucks is now “fighting for the hearts and minds of our people and we will succeed.”

The union said in a statement Friday that Schultz has “a clear tendency to use his national platform to make illegal statements.” Starbucks Workers United previously accused Schultz of violating labor law when he said the company could do it Unleash new benefits That he believes cannot be legally extended to new stores making contracts.

When a party believes that one has violated the law, the first step is to file a complaint for unfair labor practices. The NLRB investigator is reviewing the claim to determine if the allegations are credible. If so, board officials will seek an agreement with Starbucks to rectify the situation and, if not, may terminate the lawsuit against the company.

Since it launched the organizational campaign last year, the union has accused Starbucks of unscrupulous work practices, and council officials have gotten credit for those allegations. The regional director of the NLRB in western New York recently filed an extensive lawsuit against the company, alleging it violated the law by firing half a dozen union workers, disciplining and controlling others, and closing two stores.

However, none of these cases have yet been brought before an administrative law judge. Starbucks says it did not break the law during the campaign. The company also insisted they were not “anti-communication,” despite comments like Schultz’s on the DealBook forum.

In some cases, the union has asked NLRB officials to ask the federal court for a decision against Starbucks to stop what the union considers illegal behavior. In a presentation Friday, the union asked the board of directors for an injunction regarding Schultz’s comments, saying his remarks could do “irreversible damage” to the campaign’s repairs.

A Federal Judge Earlier This Week Dismissed The union’s search for a ban that would return the work of three union organizers in Arizona. Starbucks has released many more 20 Union organizer Nationwide, but the company says all resolutions are reasonable and unequal.

Among those who lost their jobs was the so -called Memphis Seven, a group of bartenders in Tennessee who were fired after giving an interview to a local TV station. Board officials are suing the company for dismissal, saying they are illegal and employees should be returned to work.

Despite losing seven organizers, Starbucks Workers United only won A decisive victory In the union election at the Memphis Store, workers voted 11-3 to join.