Starbucks hit with NLRB complaint over refusal to negotiate with unions (update)
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Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) was in violation of legal requirements to negotiate with unionized workers near its Seattle headquarters, according to a National Labor Relations Board complaint.
The 21 stores cited in the complaint are located in Washington and Oregon and add to the over 250 stores that have unionized and tens more contested. The first union was formed in Buffalo in December 2021, with union votes accelerating rapidly since that point.
Starbucks (SBUX) has been hit with a number of NLRB complaints in 2022, largely relating to its attempts to quiet pushes to unionize by its employees. The chain was found to have refused negotiation with a union at its Seattle roastery in November, striking strong parallels to the NLRBâs latest complaint.
"We have continued to connect with Workers United to progress the scheduling of contract bargaining sessions, and by yearâs end we will have appeared in-person for more than 75 single-store bargaining sessions," a Starbucks spokesperson told Seeking Alpha. "We have come to the table time-after-time prepared to bargain in good faith and continue to urge Workers United to uphold their promises to our partners by moving the bargaining process forward."
Read more on a recent walkout staged by baristas across 100 stores.
(This story has been updated to include comments from Starbucks)