SEATTLE Starbucks Corp. recently accepted a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board to allow its Minneapolis-area employees to post union materials in their break areas and discuss union issues while on the job as long as the activities do not interfere with their work.
The settlement stems from several charges of unfair labor practices initiated by the Industrial Workers of the World since January. IWW has attempted to unionize Starbucks workers in other cities.
The charges were consolidated into one and resolved Tuesday with the settlement, said Marlin Osthus, interim director of the NLRB’s upper Midwest regional office.
Aspokeswoman for Starbucks said Thursday the company did not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement.
“We strongly believe we would have prevailed had the one remaining case gone to trial, but the time and expense required to do so was not justifiable,” she said, adding that Starbucks consistently applies its discipline policies to all employees regardless of whether they are engaged in any union activity.
As part of the settlement, Starbucks agreed to post notices in several of its stores in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area that outline employees’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act. The coffeehouse chain also agreed not to threaten employees or prevent employees from discussing a union or terms of employment with each other while at work, Osthus said.
Starbucks is appealing a ruling in December by a New York administrative law judge that found that the company had engaged in unfair labor practices related to union organizing activities in its Manhattan locations.
Contact Dina Berta at [email protected].
