USA: Labour board claims Starbucks illegally threatened workers; incl. co. comment
"Starbucks Illegally Threatened Seattle Workers, Labor Board Claims," 17 Aug 2022
... A National Labor Relations Board regional director claims that letters issued by the company to staff at 10 stores in Washington state and Oregon violated federal law. Employees were told that when workers unionize, “negotiations can often take more than a year -- if a contract is reached at all,” and that in the meantime “benefits and wages will essentially be frozen,” according to the complaint.
... Starbucks denied wrongdoing. “We want our partners to be informed and have all the facts when making their decision and have followed NLRB rules to ensure they have what they need to make the best decision for themselves,” spokesperson Reggie Borges said in an email. “Claims of anti-union activity are categorically false.”
... “The NLRB may have issued this complaint in Seattle, but workers across the country have been getting similar letters from Starbucks,” Arizona Starbucks employee Michelle Hejduk said in an emailed statement from the union, Starbucks Workers United. “This complaint just scratches the surface of the threats Starbucks has made to workers in their anti-union leaflets nationwide.”