Federal labor officials issued a Grievance Tuesday against Starbucks, accusing the coffee chain of illegally interfering with workers in an effort to form the union.
The regional director of the National Labor Relations Council said in a statement that company executives are taking revenge on union workers in Arizona. One employee, Laila Dalton, was fired, while another, Alice Sanchez, lost her job.
The complaint states that Starbucks “interferes, restricts and forces employees to exercise guaranteed rights” under federal labor law. He claims that Starbucks managers used previously non -compliant rules to punish Dalton and stopped meeting Sanchez’s schedule requirements, which led to his dismissal. According to the complaint, they also illegally monitored the workers.
As a remedy, the Labor Council’s general counsel said Starbucks should inform its employees nationwide that it violated the law and also acquit Sanchez of “consequential damages” caused by the company.
A Starbucks spokesman denied the allegations in a statement to HuffPost: “We continue to deny any allegations of anti -union activity. They are definitely lying. ”
So far, the union’s campaign, known as Starbucks Workers United, has united six stores, most of them in Buffalo, New York, and more than 100 other countries that have petitioned for an election. Workers are looking to join the Workers United union, which is a subsidiary of the International Union of Service Employees with 2 million members.
Starbucks has made significant efforts to stop attempts to mobilize employees and executives during anti -union meetings and due to procedural delays in union elections. In recent weeks, the union has filed several complaints with the Labor Council for unfair labor practices, accusing the company of obstructing the organization’s efforts to target the organization.
The complaint filed Tuesday by the regional director of the Labor Council means officials have pleaded guilty to these particular allegations to the union and have chosen to act against the company. Such cases are usually resolved before an administrative law court.
Bill Whitmeier, a Starbucks attorney in Phoenix, said in a statement released by Starbucks Workers United that the company should apologize to Dalton and Sanchez, calling them “amazing personalities of great character.”
“Today is the first step in holding Starbucks accountable for its unacceptable behavior as part of a concerted effort with our stores and shops nationwide,” Whitmeier said.
Last month, Starbucks fired seven union workers at a store in Memphis, Tennessee, saying they violated company policies and prevented non -employees from entering their store outside of business hours. The union has filed a lawsuit saying Starbucks illegally retaliated against these workers, but the Labor Council has not yet considered the case.
The union also filed separate lawsuits this month against Starbucks for cutting the working hours of pro-union workers nationwide.
Source: Huffpost
