Starbucks Illegally Fired Michigan Worker Over Union Activism, Labor Board Judge Rules

  • Company ‘acted with animus’ against employee, judge says
  • Coffee chain has previously called anti-union claims false
Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg
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Starbucks Corp. illegally fired a Michigan employee because she engaged in union activism and participated in a US labor board proceeding, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled.

The agency judge’s decision Friday requires the coffee chain to offer the worker reinstatement with back pay. It says Starbucks must also hold a meeting with employees as well as representatives of management, the government and the union, at which a notice is read about workers’ rights and about the agency’s determination that the company broke the law.