[US] Judge orders Starbucks to reinstate fired workers

In the US, a judge has ordered Starbucks Corp to reinstate seven employees at a Memphis, Tennessee, cafe who were allegedly fired for supporting a union organising campaign, as the company seeks to halt pending nationwide union elections, Yahoo reports.

On August 18, U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman in Memphis said the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) had provided enough evidence that the firings earlier this year were motivated by anti-union animus. Judge Lipman granted the order pending the outcome of an administrative case before the board.

The Memphis store is one of the nearly 220 Starbucks cafes in the US that has unionised over the last year. Workers at 46 locations have reportedly voted against unionising, and dozens of other elections are pending.

In an August 18 statement Starbucks said it disagreed with the ruling and intended to appeal. The company said the workers were fired for violating company safety policies and that it respected the unionisation process.

In a statement, NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo said the decision was "a crucial step in ensuring that these workers, and all Starbucks workers, can freely exercise their right to join together to improve their working conditions and form a union."

In May the NLRB made the unusual move of seeking an order in federal court in the Memphis case, while claims that the workers were unlawfully fired played out before an administrative judge.

The board is reportedly considering scores of other complaints alleging Starbucks interfered with workers' organising rights in various ways, including by closing stores and firing or disciplining union supporters.

In a letter to NLRB officials on August 15, Starbucks accused board staff of improperly aiding the union and asked for elections to be suspended nationwide pending the outcome of an investigation.

Source: Yahoo

(Quotes via original reporting)

In the US, a judge has ordered Starbucks Corp to reinstate seven employees at a Memphis, Tennessee, cafe who were allegedly fired for supporting a union organising campaign, as the company seeks to halt pending nationwide union elections, Yahoo reports.

On August 18, U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman in Memphis said the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) had provided enough evidence that the firings earlier this year were motivated by anti-union animus. Judge Lipman granted the order pending the outcome of an administrative case before the board.

The Memphis store is one of the nearly 220 Starbucks cafes in the US that has unionised over the last year. Workers at 46 locations have reportedly voted against unionising, and dozens of other elections are pending.

In an August 18 statement Starbucks said it disagreed with the ruling and intended to appeal. The company said the workers were fired for violating company safety policies and that it respected the unionisation process.

In a statement, NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo said the decision was "a crucial step in ensuring that these workers, and all Starbucks workers, can freely exercise their right to join together to improve their working conditions and form a union."

In May the NLRB made the unusual move of seeking an order in federal court in the Memphis case, while claims that the workers were unlawfully fired played out before an administrative judge.

The board is reportedly considering scores of other complaints alleging Starbucks interfered with workers' organising rights in various ways, including by closing stores and firing or disciplining union supporters.

In a letter to NLRB officials on August 15, Starbucks accused board staff of improperly aiding the union and asked for elections to be suspended nationwide pending the outcome of an investigation.

Source: Yahoo

(Quotes via original reporting)