Starbucks hit for anti-union moves

Yet more Starbucks labor news. Dozens of corporate employees have signed a petition calling on the company to reverse its return-to-office policy, which they allege hurts productivity, job satisfaction and diversity and inclusion. The letter also calls on Starbucks to agree to the fair election principles first proposed by Starbucks Workers United all the way back in the summer of 2021. Such collective action is sometimes a harbinger of organizing to come, and some corporate workers say they'll consider unionizing if the company doesn't get rid of the return-to-work policy. Starbucks is also facing the possibility that the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee could issue a rare subpoena summoning interim CEO Howard Schultz to testify. https://lnkd.in/eZMc4Uz4

The National Labor Relations Board recently found that Starbucks violated federal labor law after firing two employees for covertly recording management. My colleagues Mark Foley, Matthew Fontana and Daniel Dorson discuss the implications of the NLRB’s decision in this alert. #EmploymentLaw #NLRB #HR #Workplace #FaegreDrinker

A federal judge for the National Labor Relations Board has found that Starbucks violated dozens of labor laws in one location alone, as it tried to bust a union at its Buffalo store. This ruling has vast and highly positive implications for essential workers in countless industries all over the country. https://lnkd.in/gP6V8-wQ

Oh Starbucks. One missing link in a lot of activist efforts to transform organizations is that white collar and blue collar workers have different agendas, interests and approaches. This makes it much easier to divide and conquer. This is why what’s happening at Starbucks is so fascinating. As this scoop from Josh Eidelson at Bloomberg shows, managers at Starbucks have written a letter to leadership, raising objections *both* to the return to office mandate for corporate employees and the company’s union busting efforts. They are careful to use the language of the ESG business case, arguing “Morale is at an all-time low, and the brand reputation and financial value of this publicly traded company are at risk” and that “We believe in Starbucks, we believe in its core values, and we call for a return to those values” Will Schultz listen? Hard to say. Financial performance is still strong, but culture seems to be fragmenting, and that’s not usually a good sign. Awesome reporting. And guess what, a judge just ruled the company is violating labor laws too. Specifically, engaging in “egregious and widespread misconduct demonstrating a general disregard for the employees’ fundamental rights.” I think I remember short lived efforts at Amazon like this, but they don’t seem to have achieved much. I’m hoping this time is different.

Oh Starbucks. One missing link in a lot of activist efforts to transform organizations is that white collar and blue collar workers have different agendas, interests and approaches. This makes it much easier to divide and conquer. This is why what’s happening at Starbucks is so fascinating. As this scoop from Josh Eidelson at Bloomberg shows, managers at Starbucks have written a letter to leadership, raising objections *both* to the return to office mandate for corporate employees and the company’s union busting efforts. They are careful to use the language of the ESG business case, arguing “Morale is at an all-time low, and the brand reputation and financial value of this publicly traded company are at risk” and that “We believe in Starbucks, we believe in its core values, and we call for a return to those values” Will Schultz listen? Hard to say. Financial performance is still strong, but culture seems to be fragmenting, and that’s not usually a good sign. Awesome reporting. And guess what, a judge just ruled the company is violating labor laws too. Specifically, engaging in “egregious and widespread misconduct demonstrating a general disregard for the employees’ fundamental rights.” I think I remember short lived efforts at Amazon like this, but they don’t seem to have achieved much. I’m hoping this time is different.

Starbucks committed "egregious and widespread misconduct" while trying to stop labor union campaigns, a federal administrative law judge ruled. Driving the news:?Following a hearing in an unfair labor practice case filed by a Starbucks union, Judge Michael A. Rosas ordered the company to reinstate seven workers, give backpay and damages compensation, have interim CEO?Howard Schultz?read a notice to employees and bargain with members. ? The coffee giant showed "a general disregard for the employees’ fundamental rights," the judge wrote. More on?Axios?from?Sareen Habeshian about union organizing, complaints against the company, and Sen. Bernie Sanders call to subpoena Starbucks CEO ??

As a leader it's always interesting to read about legal decisions that impact the business world. The recent court ruling against Starbucks highlights the importance of adhering to labor laws and treating employees with fairness and respect. The ruling requires Starbucks to take several corrective actions related to its treatment of workers, including the significant step of reopening stores that were closed due to worker organizing efforts, rescinding disciplinary actions, and offering to reinstate terminated workers. I wonder if greater focus on coaching leaders through handling employee concerns with care would have averted some of this. The courts requiring top executives to read a notice outlining workers' rights and how the company violated the law seems to indicate there was significant opportunity to do so. During my decade at Starbucks I experienced that fellow partners treated each other with dignity and respect, strived to do their best and fostered a caring environment that was fun and rewarding. Was sad to see this but know the team there now will work hard to bring about the best outcome.

Dozens of white-collar?Starbucks?employees and managers have signed an open letter protesting the company’s return-to-office mandate and its alleged union-busting, opening a new front in the battle over the avowedly progressive coffee chain’s treatment of its staff, Josh Eidelson writes in his latest workplace scoop. “We love Starbucks, but these actions are fracturing trust in Starbucks leadership,” the workers wrote in their letter, which was sent to senior executives and board members and will be posted on a website Wednesday. “Morale is at an all-time low, and the brand reputation and financial value of this publicly traded company are at risk.” Both violating baristas’ unionization rights, and subjecting white-collar staff to an abrupt return-to-office mandate, the letter argues, reflect the same problem: “Not listening to partners.” The collective activism by headquarters staff adds pressure on incoming Chief Executive Officer Laxman Narasimhan to resolve the bitter dispute with Starbucks Workers United, the labor group which last year organized a few hundred of the chain’s 9,000 corporate-run US locations. It could also be a precursor to eventual unionization efforts by white-collar Starbucks staff themselves, who argue the company has violated the values that are supposed to set it apart. In January, Starbucks then-CEO Howard Schultz sent a memo requiring workers within commuting distance to return to the office three days a week. He told white-collar staff that baristas “are asking us to do the transformative work that I believe can only be done effectively when we are physically together.”? The workers behind the letter say the company’s anti-union efforts punish baristas who “challenge the status quo,” while arguing the return-to-office mandate harms productivity, morale, accessibility and sustainability. “After Howard issued his edict, I definitely did not feel good working for Starbucks any more — it felt like I am working for a dictator,” said Starbucks app developer Peter de Jesus, one of the employees who signed the letter. "If it doesn't lead to any meaningful change, the next step is obviously to think about possibly unionizing.” #leadership #brand #unions #futureofwork #rto #remotework #hybridwork #coffee #starbucks #scoop #laborlaw #workplace #advocacy #workersrights

"I'd be the first to say the union showed up because Starbucks was not leading in a way that was consistent with its history in terms of being a values-based company." — Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz sat down with me to talk about the unionization movement. Produced by Sarah Boxer & Annie Cohen CNN #CNNThisMorning