© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: A Starbucks logo is seen at a Starbucks coffee shop in Vienna, Austria, June 21, 2016. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo
(Corrects to clarify Howard Schultz designation in fourth paragraph)
(Reuters) – Starbucks Corp violated federal law by refusing to deal fairly with workers at dozens of newly unionized cafes across the country, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) prosecutors. .
The NLRB’s general counsel determined that the coffee chain violated labor law by refusing to participate in collective bargaining sessions if some workers were present by video conference, according to the report.
“Now that it is clear that we have the right to do business using a virtual component, we hope that Starbucks (NASDAQ:) is ready as well,” Tyler Keeling, a Starbucks of California union leader, said in a statement.
The development comes ahead of former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz’s testimony before the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on March 29, after resisting previous requests to appear and answer questions about company compliance with labor law.
“Hearing this days before Howard Schultz testifies in front of the HELP committee is great, especially since he spoke personally about Starbucks refusing to deal with us because of the Zoom screen,” Keeling said.
Starbucks and the NLRB did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Employees at more than 280 of the approximately 9,000 company-operated Starbucks locations in the U.S. have voted to join a union since 2021. The union seeks better wages and benefits, better health and safety conditions, and protections against unfair dismissal and discipline.
