Starbucks hit with government complaint for ‘union busting’ activities in Arizona

Coffee giant violated federal labour law by retaliating against union supporters, government board finds

Starbucks faces a complaint from the National Labor Relations Board for allegedly retaliating against two workers trying to unionise their coffee house in Arizona, marking the first formal government complaint against the company during a nationwide union effort among Starbucks employees at corporate-run stores.

The formal complaint alleges that the company violated federal labour law by surveilling and retaliating against union supporters and “interfering with, restraining, and coercing employees” organising a union, according to the board’s regional director in Phoenix.

In the complaint, the labour board accuses Starbucks managers of suspending one employee and giving her a written warning and rejecting another employee’s preferred schedule in an attempt to “discourage” employees from organising a union.

Starbucks management characterised employees’ communications with other employees about understaffing “as inappropriate and negative and citing those communications as a reason for discipline, threatened employees with discipline for engaging in protected concerted activities,” according to the complaint.

The government complaint “is the first step in holding Starbucks accountable for its unacceptable behavior during the unionizing efforts in our store and stores around the country,” Arizona barista Bill Whitmire said in a statement through Starbucks Workers United, a group representing workers participating in union efforts.

Starbucks Workers United has filed more than 20 similar complaints alleging “union busting” tactics and unfair labour practices aimed at union organisers and supporters.

If the company loses its case, Starbucks will be required to advise employees of their rights to engage in protected workplace activities like complaining about wages and staffing.

The company has denied participating in illegal anti-union activities.

The latest action came as the company’s CEO Kevin Johnson announced his retirement after 13 years with the company. Howard Schulz – the company’s former CEO and largest shareholder – will return to the company as interim CEO.

More than 100 corporate-run Starbucks stores have filed for union elections, with victories in six stores – including five in Buffalo, New York and another in Mesa, Arizona, the first store to unionise outside of New York.

In December, union organisers voted to form the first-ever union at a corporate-run store in the company’s 50-year history, marking a major milestone in labour organising during a historic wave of worker actions in the US.

Workers at the company’s flagship Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle and the New York City roaster have also joined the campaign.

Starbucks must file a response to the Phoenix complaint by 29 March, and a hearing is set for 14 June, 2022.