• From Bloomberg:
"Starbucks Corp. violated labor law by refusing to bargain with unionized workers at its Seattle mega-cafe, the US National Labor Relations Board ruled Wednesday.
"The decision, issued unanimously by the one Republican and two Democratic members of the labor board, orders Starbucks’ subsidiary Siren Retail Corp. to negotiate with the new union at its hometown Seattle Roastery restaurant. Employees there voted in April to join Starbucks Workers United, the labor group which has prevailed in elections at around 250 of the coffee chain’s US sites over the past year.
"The board members wrote that Starbucks 'admits its refusal to bargain' with the union, adding that the company contested the legitimacy of the union’s victory because of the government’s choice to hold a mail-ballot rather than in-person election.
"Starbucks plans to appeal the ruling, teeing up the latest in a series of federal court showdowns between the coffee chain and the government agency. The labor board has filed five lawsuits asking judges to issue injunctions against Starbucks, including a new suit Wednesday in New York State, and one that led to reinstatement of seven terminated activists in Memphis."
