U.S. Labor Agency Sues Starbucks Over Treatment of Workers in Seattle

The National Labor Relations Board on Thursday sued Starbucks over the coffee chain’s refusal to rehire 33 workers as it reorganized three downtown Seattle stores, including its flagship store in Pike Place Market.

In a petition filed in Seattle federal court, the agency called Starbucks’ plan to reorganize the stores into a “Heritage District,” and force 73 workers to reapply for their jobs, an illegal response to unionization efforts at one of the stores, at 1st Avenue and Pike Street.

By refusing to rehire 16 of the 22 workers there, Starbucks “chilled employees’ support for the union” at the other two stores “by sending a clear message about what would happen if they unionized,” the NLRB said.

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