Starbucks must answer Labor Dept subpoena on worker organizing
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images News
Editor's note: This article was updated at 745p to clarify the legal challenge and provides comment from the company.

A federal court in Washington State has ordered Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) to comply with a Department of Labor subpoena related to documents on the company's spending on a workers' organizing campaign.

In May, the agency filed a petition against the coffeehouse giant after it refused to provide documents related to money it spent during a worker organizing campaign in Buffalo, N.Y.
Starbucks (SBUX) had challenged Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su's ability to investigate, according to the court ruling.
"There has been no adverse determination about the company's reporting requirements," Starbucks (SBUX) said in a statement to Seeking Alpha. "We continue to engage with government officials to provide clarifying information on our compliance with decades of labor law and the many ways we're listening and learning from our partners as we work to improve the opportunities and experience offered by Starbucks.
The court ordered that Starbucks (SBUX) supply related documents from fiscal years 2021 and 2022 to determine compliance with the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act.


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