House Republicans Subpoena Labor Authorities in Starbucks Union Dispute
A congressional committee issued a subpoena to the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that employees of the labor body mishandled union elections at
Starbucks Corp.
SBUX 0.10%
cafes in ways that favored unionizing workers.
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce asked a regional NLRB official on Wednesday to provide documents as to whether the labor body improperly influenced at least one Starbucks election, according to a letter viewed by The Wall Street Journal.
Rep.
Virginia Foxx
(R., N.C.), who chairs the committee, wrote that she believes the NLRB has communications and documents outlining alleged misconduct in Starbucks elections, and is seeking documents on the matter. Ms. Foxx requested that the NLRB official provide the documents to the committee on March 29, according to the subpoena.
The NLRB didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Starbucks said it welcomed the development. Starbucks Workers United, the union that represents U.S. cafe workers across about 290 stores, didn’t immediately respond to requests to comment.
The NLRB oversees labor matters between U.S. companies and workers, including presiding over union elections and verifying results. As Starbucks has pushed back against a unionization drive in its U.S. cafes over the past 18 months, Starbucks Workers United has filed hundreds of unfair labor practice charges against Starbucks, and the NLRB has issued more than 80 complaints against the company covering roughly 260 of those allegations. Starbucks is contesting those charges.
Starbucks alleged in a letter sent last year to the NLRB that federal officials there improperly oversaw mail-in ballot elections at Starbucks locations in Buffalo, N.Y., Seattle and the Kansas City area. The chain alleged that the NLRB unfairly assisted workers supporting the Starbucks Workers United union and influenced the election results.
An NLRB spokeswoman said at the time that the agency doesn’t comment on open cases and that a party should raise concerns regarding the board’s handling of elections through an NLRB filing. Starbucks Workers United said at the time that the company’s letter reflected an attempt to manipulate the unionization process.
Starbucks had asked the NLRB to suspend all mail-in-ballot union elections until the federal labor body could investigate the company’s allegations and publicly report its findings.
In Wednesday’s letter, Ms. Foxx wrote that she believes that an NLRB report last month confirmed certain allegations brought forward by Starbucks last year, particularly regarding an election in the Kansas City area. Ms. Foxx wrote in the letter that NLRB employees shared more information about the election with Workers United than with Starbucks, thereby helping the union.
Howard Schultz,
who stepped down Monday as Starbucks’ chief executive, is scheduled to testify on March 29 before a U.S. Senate committee chaired by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.).
Write to Heather Haddon at [email protected]
Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
A congressional committee issued a subpoena to the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that employees of the labor body mishandled union elections at
Starbucks Corp.
SBUX 0.10%
cafes in ways that favored unionizing workers.
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce asked a regional NLRB official on Wednesday to provide documents as to whether the labor body improperly influenced at least one Starbucks election, according to a letter viewed by The Wall Street Journal.
Rep.
Virginia Foxx
(R., N.C.), who chairs the committee, wrote that she believes the NLRB has communications and documents outlining alleged misconduct in Starbucks elections, and is seeking documents on the matter. Ms. Foxx requested that the NLRB official provide the documents to the committee on March 29, according to the subpoena.
The NLRB didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Starbucks said it welcomed the development. Starbucks Workers United, the union that represents U.S. cafe workers across about 290 stores, didn’t immediately respond to requests to comment.
The NLRB oversees labor matters between U.S. companies and workers, including presiding over union elections and verifying results. As Starbucks has pushed back against a unionization drive in its U.S. cafes over the past 18 months, Starbucks Workers United has filed hundreds of unfair labor practice charges against Starbucks, and the NLRB has issued more than 80 complaints against the company covering roughly 260 of those allegations. Starbucks is contesting those charges.
Starbucks alleged in a letter sent last year to the NLRB that federal officials there improperly oversaw mail-in ballot elections at Starbucks locations in Buffalo, N.Y., Seattle and the Kansas City area. The chain alleged that the NLRB unfairly assisted workers supporting the Starbucks Workers United union and influenced the election results.
An NLRB spokeswoman said at the time that the agency doesn’t comment on open cases and that a party should raise concerns regarding the board’s handling of elections through an NLRB filing. Starbucks Workers United said at the time that the company’s letter reflected an attempt to manipulate the unionization process.
Starbucks had asked the NLRB to suspend all mail-in-ballot union elections until the federal labor body could investigate the company’s allegations and publicly report its findings.
In Wednesday’s letter, Ms. Foxx wrote that she believes that an NLRB report last month confirmed certain allegations brought forward by Starbucks last year, particularly regarding an election in the Kansas City area. Ms. Foxx wrote in the letter that NLRB employees shared more information about the election with Workers United than with Starbucks, thereby helping the union.
Howard Schultz,
who stepped down Monday as Starbucks’ chief executive, is scheduled to testify on March 29 before a U.S. Senate committee chaired by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.).
Write to Heather Haddon at [email protected]
Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
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