Employers normally have little to lose by purging organizers, even when it’s found to be illegal. This high-profile case could be different.
By Dave Jamieson, HuffPost
Starbucks fired seven union supporters at a store in Memphis, Tennessee, on Tuesday in what the union has portrayed as a retaliatory purge of the organizing committee. The terminations mark the most significant escalation in the battle between the world’s largest coffee chain and the fast-growing Starbucks Workers United campaign.
The firings made national news, but the reality is that employers fire union activists all the time – whether it’s justified or not. Labor law in the United States gives companies little to lose by ousting organizers. But due to the high profile of the Starbucks campaign, as well as recent changes at the National Labor Relations Board, this case may be different.
Starbucks insists the firings were not retaliatory. Company spokesperson Reggie Borges said the workers violated safety and security protocols by opening the store outside of business hours and allowing nonemployees in without permission. The case revolves at least in part around an interview that union supporters gave a local TV news station after hours inside a Starbucks store.
Recent Posts
‘Total Amateur Hour’: FBI Official Says Antifa Is #1 Threat in US—But Can’t Say Where, Who, or What It Is
Take Action Now “Just a complete admission here that the entire ‘antifa’ threat narrative is totally manufactured by this administration,” said one…
Utah Leaders Are Hindering Efforts To Develop Solar Despite A Goal To Double The State’s Energy Supply
Take Action Now Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed bills that will make it more difficult and expensive to develop and produce solar energy, ending tax…
Report of the Independent Democratic Task Force on U.S. Policy Toward Israel
Take Action Now For release in connection with the winter meeting of the Democratic National Committee convening on December 11, 2025 in Los Angeles……
U.S. Realizes It Can Seize Boats After All
Take Action Now After months of extrajudicial killings in the waters off Venezuela, the Trump administration opted instead to capture an oil tanker.……