An administrative law judge has ruled that coffee giant Starbucks illegally interfered with employees who formed a union at a Denver store. And a hearing is scheduled in March to hear complaints from employees at two other Colorado stores who voted to unionize.
The legal proceedings are the latest developments since employees at a store in Superior became the first of nine in Colorado to vote for a union, part of a cross-country effort to organize Starbucks workers. Employees at a Boulder store voted in January to unionize, according to Workers United, an affiliate of Service Employees International Union and the union that is representing the employees.
A ruling issued Monday by an administrative law judge of the National Labor Relations Board said Starbucks violated the National Labor Relations Act by interfering with employees organizing a union election at an east Denver store. Complaints against the company included firing one of the organizers, threatening employers for union activity and telling employees they wouldn’t be eligible for raises or promotions and would lose their benefits if they voted for a union.
