Starbucks stores rally behind fired Memphis employees
A Starbucks store in downtown Buffalo, New York, became the first location to unionize
Starbucks workers around the nation are rallying behind workers in Memphis who claim they were fired for unionizing efforts.
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Starbucks Workers United, the union seeking to organize workers at stores nationwide, has reposted images on Twitter of different locations holding signs in support of the seven workers now accusing the company of "union-busting" and vowing to file a complaint with the labor board.
Meanwhile, Starbucks says the decision earlier this month had nothing to do with media attention or the fact that the workers were seeking representation. Rather, it had to do with violations related to opening and closing.
Still, on Sunday, the union tweeted, "We stand with our Memphis comrades and Partners, sending support from Ann Arbor."
STARBUCKS LOCATIONS ACROSS SEVERAL STATES FILE TO UNIONIZE OVER THE PAST WEEK
The tweet included an image of workers in the Michigan city holding a sign stating, "Ann Arbor stands with Memphis."
On the same day, the union also tweeted an image of workers in upstate New York holding a sign that read: "Buffalo stands with Memphis."
Meanwhile, the union re-tweeted another image, this time from workers in Ithaca, holding a sign saying, "Ithaca stands with the Memphis seven."
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The union has been pushing stores around the nation to rally behind the Memphis store by joining the unionizing efforts, and a handful of locations are already obliging.
Just last week, nearly a dozen of locations in New York, Michigan, Texas and Georgia filed a petition to unionize, according to labor board filings.
At the same time, additional stores from Hawaii to Minnesota and Pennsylvania have been sending letters to Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson stating their "intentions to form a union."
The union tweeted that a second location in Atlanta has issued a letter to Johnson.
STARBUCKS ACCUSED OF 'UNION-BUSTING' AFTER FIRING SEVERAL WORKERS IN MEMPHIS
However, in order to hold an official union election under the supervision of the U.S. National Labor Relations Board, unions need to garner support from at least 30% of workers who are eligible to vote, according to the labor board's policies.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SBUX | STARBUCKS CORP. | 102.50 | +2.44 | +2.44% |
After a location submits a petition, the labor board needs to confirm if it has met the showing of interest in order to proceed with an official election.
Starbucks previously told FOX Business that its position on unionizing hasn't wavered.
"Starbucks success—past, present, and future—is built on how we partner together, always with Our Mission and Values at our core," the company said in a statement last month.
After a Starbucks store in downtown Buffalo, New York, became the first location to unionize in December, the company said it respected the legal process and promised to come to the negotiating table with union employees at its Elmwood Village location "in good faith."
FOX Business' Breck Dumas contributed to this report.