Starbucks Forced To Reopen Stores Closed To Union Bust

Like its alleged intimidation tactics and firing of workers who have led unionization efforts, Starbucks' closure of at least 23 stores amid a nationwide workers' rights push last year did not go unnoticed by federal regulators, who ordereded the global coffee chain to reopen the locations on Wednesday.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a complaint saying that eight of the shuttered stores were among the more than 360 Starbucks locations that have voted to unionize, and that executives did not notify the union, Starbucks Workers United, about the closures ahead of time—robbing organizers of an opportunity to bargain over the decision.

The agency called on Starbucks to reopen the locations—which are located in cities including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Portland, Maine—and to re-hire fired employees, provide them with lost pay and benefits, and bargain with the unions at stores that have organized.

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