Swap Agrawal is a student at Harvard Law School.
In this weekend’s news and commentary, more than 1,000 Starbucks baristas at more than 100 stores across the country walking off their jobs for three days.
On December 16, Starbucks Workers United, the union behind organizing efforts at the national coffee chain, announced that over 1,000 baristas at store locations across the country are participating in a three-day workout. Starbucks Workers United called this unfair labor practice (ULP) strike the longest collective action in the campaign’s history. Specifically, workers are fighting back against union-busting by the company, including the recent closing of the first store to organize in Seattle. Starbucks Workers United’s press release highlighted that the NLRB has issued 45 complaints against Starbucks for over 900 violations of labor law, making the company one of the worst violators of federal labor law in modern history. Striking employees are also calling on customers to support the union by not purchasing Starbucks Gift Cards this year as part of the #NoContractNoGiftCards Campaign. The union published a map showing the Starbucks stores where workers are walking out. Fred and Kevin recently summarized the extraordinary year of organizing by Starbucks employees since the first store unionized on December 9, 2021.
Daily News & Commentary
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May 15
SEIU 32BJ pioneers new health insurance model; LIRR unions approach a strike; and Starbucks prevails against NRLB in Fifth Circuit.
May 14
MLB begins negotiating; Westchester passes a new wage act; USDA employees sue the Agriculture Secretary.
May 13
House Republicans push for vote on the SCORE Act; Wells Fargo wins 401(k) forfeiture appeal; Georgia passes portable benefits bill.
May 12
Trump administration proposes expanding fertility care benefits; Connecticut passes employment legislation; NFL referees ratify new collective bargaining agreement.
May 11
NLRB Judge finds UPS violated federal labor law; Tennessee bans certain noncompetes; and Colorado passes a bill restricting AI price- and wage-setting
May 10
Workers at the Long Island Rail Road threaten to strike, and referees at the National Football League reach a collective bargaining agreement.