NLRB accuses Starbucks of retaliating against workers seeking to unionize
Employees Laila Dalton and Alyssa Sanchez were contributing to a national campaign that has set up unions at a handful of Starbucks stores across the country. Starbucks Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union, has brought at least a dozen charges on behalf of baristas across the country alleging similar retaliation, according to NLRB case dockets.
If the NLRB prevails in its case, Starbucks could be required to read statements and post physical notices in its stores informing workers of their right to organize. That requirement is a common remedy in labor retaliations cases. The company also could be required to reimburse Sanchez for the hours of work that she lost because of Starbucks’s alleged retaliation. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for June 14.
In the complaint, the NLRB accused two Starbucks managers of suspending Dalton and giving her a written warning, as well as rejecting Sanchez’s scheduling preferences as a way of discouraging them from raising concerns with managers.
Dalton had complained about problems including understaffing, work schedules and supervisors’ treatment of employees, according to the NLRB. The complaint alleges that her managers suspended her and gave her a written warning pointing out absences and policy violations that had previously been excused, including taking unauthorized shifts, going on medical absences and sending a text message to a manager.
The NLRB said Starbucks decided to discipline them because they “assisted the Union and engaged in concerted activities, and to discourage employees from engaging in these activities.” National labor laws protect employees’ right to engage in “concerted activity” to address work-related concerns.
In an emailed statement, Starbucks spokesman Reggie Borges implied that the company’s efforts to discipline these two employees was unrelated to their union activity.
“A partner’s interest in a union does not exempt them from the standards we have always held,” Borges said in the email. “We will continue enforcing our policies consistently for all partners and we will follow the NLRB’s process to resolve this complaint.”
The union, in a statement attributed to a Scottsdale barista named Bill Whitmire, demanded a public apology from Starbucks for workers who were “discriminated against, lied to, harassed, bullied, and retaliated against” for trying to unionize their store.
“Laila and Alyssa were traumatized and their hope is that no other Partner EVER has to go through what they have gone through,” Whitmire said in a statement put out by the union.
