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☆ A union said 5 Apple Store workers were fired illegally for trying to organize
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A union said five workers at Apple stores in two states were fired illegally. The Communications Workers of America union filed two Unfair Labor Practice charges. It was the first unfair labour practice charge filed by the CWA against Apple for alleged unlawful termination of workers for union organizing. No one working at Apple should be interrogated, intimidated, or silenced for trying to organize and win our fair share." It is unlawful for any companies to retaliate against workers for union activity, according to the NLRB.

☆ A grassroots group took on Amazon and won. Then came the hard part
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Amazon still refuses to recognize the union or come to the bargaining table, dashing the Staten Island workers’ hopes of creating their first contract. Union organizer Christian Smalls (L) celebrates following the April 1, 2022, vote for the unionization of the Amazon Staten Island warehouse in New York. “I told Christian, ‘We have a problem, you need to stop traveling, you need to focus on the workers,’” Goodall told CNN. The company has claimed the independent federal agency tasked with overseeing union elections exerted “inappropriate and undue influence” with the Staten Island effort. An Amazon employee signs a labor union authorization for representation form outside the Amazon LDJ5 fulfillment center in the Staten Island borough of New York, on Monday, Feb. 7, 2022.

☆ Starbucks fired the employee responsible for igniting the Starbucks Workers United union campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Starbucks fired Alexis Rizzo, the employee responsible for igniting the Starbucks Workers United union campaign, just days after the company's former CEO Howard Schultz testified on Capitol Hill about the coffee chain's alleged union-busting, CNBC confirmed. Starbucks Workers United announced Rizzo's termination in a tweet Saturday and said in a corresponding GoFundMe page that "this is retaliation at its worst." It was like my family," Rizzo told CNBC in an interview. Schultz faced a volley of tough questions from Sen. Bernie Sanders Wednesday about Starbucks' labor and union practices. Nearly 300 Starbucks cafes have voted to unionize under Starbucks Workers United, according to data from the National Labor Relations Board.

☆ Elon Musk broke the law with a tweet about Tesla stock options, court rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk broke labor law with a 2018 tweet about Tesla employees' stock options, a court ruled. The US 5th Circuit Court of Appeals said Musk threatened staff in the wake of a unionization drive. But why pay union dues & give up stock options for nothing? Tesla argued that because Musk said there was nothing stopping Tesla workers joining a union, it couldn't be regarded as a threat. "Because stock options are part of Tesla's employees' compensation, and nothing in the tweet suggested that Tesla would be forced to end stock options or that the UAW would be the cause of giving up stock options, substantial evidence supports the NLRB's conclusion that the tweet is as an implied threat to end stock options as retaliation for unionization," the panel wrote in its conclusion.

Companies Tesla Inc FollowMarch 31 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday said Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) CEO Elon Musk violated federal labor law by tweeting that employees of the electric vehicle maker would lose stock options if they joined a union. Amid an organizing campaign at Tesla's Fremont, California, plant by the United Auto Workers union, Musk tweeted: "Nothing stopping Tesla team at our car plant from voting union ... But why pay union dues & give up stock options for nothing?" In Friday's case, Tesla had argued that the tweet about unionizing was not a threat and merely reflected the fact that union workers at other auto companies did not receive stock options. The labor board in a separate case last year said Tesla violated labor law by prohibiting workers at the Fremont plant from wearing shirts supporting the union campaign.

The Communication Workers of America union (CWA) has accused the "Call of Duty" maker of a series of illegal labor practices at the union has sought to organize video game testers and other employees at the company and its subsidiaries. The CWA in a statement said Activision's conduct showed a clear pattern of disregard for workers' legal rights. "In spite of Activision Blizzard's anti-union efforts, workers continue to organize, speak out about their working conditions and win union campaigns," the union said. Activision is already facing a separate NLRB complaint issued last year claiming the company used a policy limiting what workers can post on social media to bar them from discussing working conditions. Activision has said its social media policy is lawful and does not bar employees from exercising their rights under U.S. labor law.

☆ Starbucks shareholders want more information about the company’s anti-union efforts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Starbucks’ investors have voted in favor of an independent review of the company’s aggressive anti-union efforts. The assessment would include remedies if it finds that Starbucks has broken its own stated commitment to workers rights. Starbucks workers rally in celebration of the first anniversary of the union's founding on December 9, 2022 in New York City. Over the past year and a half, Starbucks has been waging a bitter fight against unionization efforts. During a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee about the company’s labor practices on Wednesday, one former employee said he was wrongfully fired after organizing.

REUTERS/Julia NikhinsonWASHINGTON/NEW YORK, March 29 (Reuters) - Starbucks' former Chief Executive Howard Schultz defended himself and the coffee chain against allegations of "union busting" at a U.S. Senate committee hearing in Washington on Wednesday. Senator Bernie Sanders, Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, told Schultz that "Starbucks has waged the most aggressive and illegal union busting campaign in the modern history of our country." "These are allegations and Starbucks has not broken the law," Schultz told Sanders during the hearing. His return to Starbucks as its interim leader in April 2022 was "95% focused on the operations of the business" and his involvement in the company's union strategy has been "de minimis," Schultz said. Republicans defended Schultz, praising the company's competitive wages, health benefits, employee stock purchase program and other benefits.

[1/2] Starbucks Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz looks on during its Annual Meeting of Shareholders in Seattle, Washington March 21, 2012. Senators blasted ex-Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz on Wednesday over the company's "union busting" when he was at the helm. Starbucks has denied allegations that it illegally fired pro-union baristas or spied on workers as hundreds of stores organized unions starting in late 2021. "These are allegations and Starbucks has not broken the law," Schultz told Sanders during the hearing. His return to Starbucks as its interim leader in April 2022 was "95% focused on the operations of the business" and his involvement in the company's union strategy has been "de minimis," Schultz said.

☆ Starbucks is probably 'the best first job in America,' former CEO says as Congress probes the chain's treatment of unions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Aidan Pollard | Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Starbucks is "one of the best, if not the best, first job in America," former CEO Howard Schultz said. "Starbucks is probably one of the best, if not the best, first job in America." "It's unprecedented, and that's why Starbucks doesn't need a union," Schultz said. But Wednesday's hearing showed that some current and former Starbucks employees don't agree with that assessment. Jaysin Saxton, a former Starbucks barista who lost his job in August at a Starbucks in Augusta, Georgia, also spoke at the hearing.

☆ Bernie Sanders questions Howard Schultz on Starbucks' labor practices
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Senator Bernie Sanders, who has roundly criticized former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz over the company’s blatant attempts to shut down its own workers’ unionization efforts, will finally get to question Schultz during a Senate hearing Wednesday. It’s a relatively small number compared to the roughly 9,300 company-operated Starbucks stores in the United States. Howard Schultz at the Starbucks annual shareholder meeting in Seattle, Washington on March 22, 2017. “Starbucks respects the right of all partners to make their own decisions about union representation,” Schultz said. In prepared remarks for the hearing, Schultz argued that “Starbucks has engaged in good faith bargaining,” saying that delays are coming from the union.

☆ Starbucks’ Union Fight Moves to Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Heather Haddon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Starbucks Corp. and chain baristas are more than 18 months into a fight over unionizing cafes at the world’s largest coffee company. Neither side has gotten all that they wanted. Starbucks has managed to slow down new union petitions over the last year and a half. But the push has cost it operationally and financially, some company executives and labor attorneys say. Starbucks said it has spent millions of dollars on lawyers to oversee union elections, fight litigation and represent itself before the National Labor Relations Board, the federal body that oversees labor matters between U.S. companies and workers.

☆ Starbucks illegally refused to bargain with union on Zoom - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The general counsel of the NLRB determined that the coffee chain violated labor law by refusing to participate in collective bargaining sessions if some workers were present via video-conference, the report said. "Now that it's clear we have the right to bargain using a virtual component, we hope Starbucks is ready, too," Tyler Keeling, a Starbucks' union leader from California said in a statement. Starbucks and the NLRB did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. Employees at more than 280 out of Starbucks' roughly 9,000 company-operated U.S. locations have voted to join a labor union since 2021. The union is seeking better pay and benefits, improved health and safety conditions and protections against unfair dismissal and discipline.

☆ Starbucks, union at odds over hybrid negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 28 (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O), which has faced criticism over its opposition to union organizing, said the labor union representing some of its stores has rejected in-person bargaining sessions and is insisting on hybrid negotiations. Starbucks Workers United, which represents thousands of U.S. baristas at about 200 cafes, conducted unauthorized virtual broadcasts of bargaining sessions without prior agreement from all parties, Starbucks said in a statement to Reuters on Monday. "Workers United is asking for a seat at the table, we're simply encouraging them take their seat in-person at the negotiating table, as required, to move the bargaining process forward," the company said. This comes after National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) prosecutors alleged that Starbucks violated labor law by refusing to engage in bargaining if some workers were attending remotely via videoconference, according to a Bloomberg report. "Now that it's clear we have the right to bargain using a virtual component, we hope Starbucks is ready, too," Tyler Keeling, a leader of the Starbucks Workers United in California said.

☆ Chipotle will pay a $240,000 penalty — roughly 1% of its daily revenue— for shutting down a store that tried to unionize
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The settlement is equivalent to the global revenue that Chipotle made in 15 minutes last year. The employees filed a petition to form a union last June — the first time Chipotle employees had taken that step. The payment will be split among the former location's employees, who will receive between $5,800 and $21,000 each based on their seniority, pay rate, and other factors, per the Journal. That math is based on Chipotle locations operating daily, and doesn't include locations closed on major holidays. Under the settlement, Chipotle will also offer the employees "preferential hiring" if they pursue jobs at the company's other locations in Maine.

☆ Chipotle to pay ex-employees $240,000 after closing Maine location that tried to unionize
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Chipotle Mexican Grill has agreed to pay $240,000 to the former employees of an Augusta, Maine, location as part of a settlement for closing the restaurant when workers tried to unionize. Employees at the Chipotle restaurant filed a petition to unionize under Chipotle United in late June, becoming the chain's first outlet to do so. While Chipotle United counted the settlement announced Monday as a win, it fell short of reopening the closed location. Chipotle will also offer to put all of those workers on a preferential hiring list for other Maine locations for one year. To date, just one Chipotle location has successfully unionized.

☆ Chipotle agrees to pay ex-employees after closing store that tried to unionize
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Chipotle Mexican Grill will pay a total $240,000 in salary and back pay to the former employees of an Augusta, Maine, restaurant that the company shuttered after the workers tried to unionize. The settlement payouts — which are based on pay rates, average hours and seniority — will range between $5,800 to more than $21,000 to each of the affected employees. It’s a win for food service workers across the country,” said Brandi McNease, a former Augusta Chipotle employee and lead organizer of the Chipotle United union. But the National Labor Relations Board, which oversees labor relations at most US businesses, filed a complaint in November alleging that the closing was an effort to defeat the union organizing. One other Chipotle location in Lansing, Michigan, has voted to be represented by a union.

☆ Starbucks CEO says he'll work a shift at the company's cafes once a month
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan told employees Thursday that he'll work a half day every month at one of the coffee giant's locations. Narasimhan took the helm on Monday and will lead the company's shareholder meeting Thursday. His pledge comes at a rocky time for the company's relationship with its baristas. As of Friday, more than 190 company-owned Starbucks locations have voted to unionize, according to National Labor Relations Board data. Before joining Starbucks, Narasimhan was chief executive of Reckitt, which owns brands like Lysol and Durex.

☆ Spooked dealmakers scurry back into their foxholes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Jeffrey Goldfarb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

NEW YORK, March 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Jonathan Kanter, a lawyer by training, has become something of a magician. Pay closer attention, however, and Kanter is methodically rewriting a decades-old regulatory playbook. Last year, these breakup charges reached their highest level in a decade, at an average 4.5% of deal prices. The Department of Agriculture partnered with the DOJ on the case, another feature of Kanter’s plan of attack. As legal weaknesses emerge, dealmakers should be in position to better structure transactions and defend themselves at trial.

☆ New Starbucks CEO plans to pull barista shifts in stores every month
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Starbucks’ new CEO Laxman Narasimhan teased his plan for the company in a letter to employees. It includes working in Starbucks stores as a barista once a month. “Critically, we will reinvigorate our culture around what it means to be a partner at Starbucks,” Narasimhan continued. Starbucks employees react and cheer at the sound of honking motorists supporting them in a nationwide strike at the Starbucks at 1601 W. Irving Park Road on Dec. 16, 2022, in Chicago. Schultz, who remains on Starbuck’s board, is scheduled to testify about Starbucks’ labor practices during a Senate hearing next week.

☆ Starbucks shareholders to vote on proposals for labor probe, succession planning
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Shareholder votes aren't binding, so the board can reject proposals even if a majority of investors vote in favor. More than 190 company-owned Starbucks locations have voted to unionize under Starbucks Workers United, according to National Labor Relations Board data as of Friday. Members of a recently formed union of Starbucks workers hold a rally to celebrate the first anniversary of their founding, December 9, 2022 in New York City. Apple, unlike Starbucks, agreed to perform the assessment without waiting for a shareholder vote. But Trillium has more than two decades of experience putting shareholder proposals before Starbucks' board.

☆ House Republicans subpoena labor authorities in Starbucks union dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 22 (Reuters) - The House Education and Labor Committee on Wednesday issued a subpoena to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging officials of the labor body failed to conduct fair and impartial union elections at Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O). She has requested a regional NLRB official to provide documents to see if the federal labor board mishandled Starbucks Union elections. The NLRB was investigating a substantial number of additional allegations against Starbucks and working with the Congress, the spokesperson added. Starbucks did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment, while Starbucks Workers United declined to comment. Employees at more than 280 of Starbucks' roughly 9,000 company-operated U.S. locations have voted to join a labor union since 2021 seeking better pay and benefits, improved health and safety conditions and protection against unfair dismissal.

☆ House Republicans subpoena labor authorities in Starbucks union dispute - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The report added the House Committee on Education and the Workforce asked a regional NLRB official to provide documents as to whether the labor body improperly influenced at least one Starbucks election. The top Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee, Virginia Foxx, wrote that she believes the NLRB has communications and documents outlining alleged misconduct in Starbucks elections, the report said. Foxx is seeking documents on the matter and has requested that the NLRB official provide the documents to the committee on March 29, the Journal reported, citing the subpoena. Starbucks, NLRB, the Starbucks Workers United and GOP did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Starbucks workers have also filed more than 500 charges against the company with the NLRB, which has ordered the company to reinstate 22 fired employees including some union supporters.

March 22 (Reuters) - A recent U.S. labor board ruling limiting what employers can include in severance agreements is a reminder that companies must be careful not to ask workers to sign away their rights, the agency's top prosecutor said on Wednesday. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo in a memo to agency staff said the February decision prohibits agreements that restrict workers' ability to file lawsuits or communicate with the board, unions and the media. The decision also applies retroactively, Abruzzo said, meaning agreements offered to workers before the NLRB decided last month's case could still be deemed illegal. In the new ruling, the board found a Michigan hospital operator broke the law by offering workers severance agreements that included confidentiality and non-disparagement provisions, because they could discourage workers from filing complaints with the NLRB or publicizing labor disputes. Companies routinely ask laid-off workers to sign agreements in exchange for severance pay that limit their ability to file employment-related lawsuits and bar them from disparaging their former employers.

☆ Starbucks' new CEO will start life at the coffee giant with a pay packet that could be worth over $28 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Laxman Narasimhan just started as CEO of Starbucks, and he's set to take home a hefty paycheck. This includes annual equity awards with a target value of $13.6 million, SEC filings show. According to Securities and Exchange Commission filings from September, Narasimhan will start with a base salary of $1.3 million per year. Starbucks says he'll also be eligible for annual equity awards with a target value of $13.6 million. When Kevin Johnson resigned as Starbucks CEO in April 2022, former boss Howard Schultz was named as his interim replacement.

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