Labor board sues Starbucks again over fired pro-union staff

The U.S. labor board sued Starbucks Corp. to force the company to offer seven union supporters their jobs back after they were fired in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Tuesday filing by the National Labor Relations Board escalates the legal struggle over Starbucks' response to the union campaign sweeping through its stores, including on Long Island.

The federal agency last month sought reinstatement of three activists in Phoenix. Labor Board prosecutors also have issued a series of complaints accusing the company of anti-union threats, retaliation and surveillance.

In an emailed statement, Starbucks denied wrongdoing. "We believe the allegations contained in the filing by the NLRB Regional Director are false, and we look forward to presenting our evidence when the allegations are adjudicated," spokesperson Reggie Borges wrote.

Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union that's petitioning to represent staff at hundreds of Starbucks cafes, has filed dozens of allegations against the company with the labor board, most of which are still pending.

The agency's prosecutors have found merit in some of those claims, including that Starbucks fired the seven Memphis employees — which included almost all of the union leaders at the store — because of their support for unionization.

The company has said that the Memphis employees weren't punished for their involvement with the union or for talking to the media, but rather because they let off-duty staff and non-employees, including reporters, into their store when it was closed, and violated numerous safety rules.

On Tuesday, Workers United filed an official objection to the results of a 6-5 vote against unionization at a Starbucks in Great Neck last week. The union citing 15 instances of alleged unfair labor practices against the Seattle-based coffee chain. Starbucks Corp. had previously denied allegations that they engaged in anti-union busting.

On the same day the union lost the Great Neck vote, an NLRB vote count showed workers at a Starbucks in Massapequa became the first on Long Island to unionize, with workers voting 19-8 in favor.