Starbucks…has long cultivated a corporate image for social responsibility...and sensitivity to workers' rights. Now that carefully crafted reputation is under assault, thanks to a messy legal dispute with a group called the Starbucks Workers Union (SWU)… The National Labor Relations Board found on Dec. 23 that Starbucks had illegally fired three New York City baristas as it tried to squelch the union organizing effort. The 88-page ruling also says the company broke the law by giving negative job evaluations to other union supporters and prohibiting employees from discussing union issues at work… Starbucks intends to appeal the decision. The company maintained during the trial that the baristas were fired for perfectly legal reasons...