NLRB ISSUES COMPLAINT AGAINST STARBUCKS, ALLEGES LABOR LAW VIOLATIONS IN OKLAHOMA CITY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 14, 2023
PRESS CONTACT
starbucksmedia@workers-united.org
OKLAHOMA CITY — Region 14 of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has issued a sweeping Complaint against Starbucks for unfair labor practices at four different stores in the Oklahoma City area — 1123 NW 63rd Avenue, Nichols Hills, OK; 132 NW 23rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK; 3616 N. May Ave., Oklahoma City, OK; and 3051 Classen Blvd., Norman, OK. After investigating charges filed by Starbucks Workers United, the national campaign to unionize the coffee giant, the NLRB found merit and will be pursuing civil prosecution of Starbucks for violations of federal labor law.
The Complaint alleges that Starbucks management across the stores committed numerous illegal acts, including but not limited to:
Interrogating workers about union activity
Threatening loss of previously announced pay raises and benefits if workers unionized
Promising increased benefits and improved working conditions if workers refrained from union activity
Threatening disciplinary action if workers posted union literature in-store
Selectively enforcing strict policies on pro-union workers
Firing barista Avery Norman for engaging in union activity
“We are pleased that the NLRB has found merit in virtually every ULP charge we filed, further showing that Starbucks has been anything but ‘progressive’ toward workers who want a say in their workplace, not only in OKC but across the country,” said Collin Pollitt, union barista and Starbucks Workers United organizer from Oklahoma City.
The NLRB has set a hearing date of April 11, 2023, in Oklahoma City before an administrative law judge, where they will seek remedy in the form of electronic and in-person distribution of employees’ rights and the company’s wrongdoing, required management training on obligations under the National Labor Relations Act, and making Avery Norman whole along with an issued letter of apology.
Starbucks, led by CEO Howard Schultz and Chair of the Board Mellody Hobson, has executed a scorched-earth union-busting campaign that includes firing over 120 pro-union leaders across the country, shuttering at least nine stores with union activity, and denying benefits to unionized stores illegally. The NLRB has issued over 65 official complaints against the Company, encompassing over 1,300 violations and making Starbucks one of the worst violators of federal labor law in history.
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