Starbucks Faces Pressure to Reopen 23 Stores as Federal Regulators Intervene
Federal labor regulators have accused Starbucks of illegally closing 23 stores to suppress union organizing activity and are seeking to force the company to reopen them. The National Labor Relations Board complaint alleges that Starbucks closed the stores because employees engaged in union activities or to discourage them from doing so. At least seven of the identified stores had already unionized. The case is scheduled to go before an administrative judge next summer, and the complaint also seeks compensation for employees for lost earnings, benefits, and other costs resulting from the closures. Starbucks has faced over 100 complaints of illegal behavior during a two-year labor campaign, with more than 30 rulings against the company.