By Brandi O. Brown, J.D.
“The city’s Fair Workweek Law provides workers with vital protections, like the right to a predictable schedule so workers can plan their lives and earn stable incomes, but Starbucks chose to ignore these rights and prioritize their own bottom line.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga announced the largest worker protection settlement in New York City history—a $38.9 million settlement with Starbucks for violations of the city’s Fair Workweek Law.
Complaints lead to investigation. The consent order and settlement follows an investigation launched by DCWP in 2022 after it received dozens of complaints. DCWP discovered that the employer had committed more than half a million violations of the law since 2021, including illegally denying thousands of workers across more than 300 locations the right to stable and predictable schedules, as well as the right to pick up additional hours. Instead, the employer arbitrarily cut schedules and prioritized profits over workers’ rights.
Specifically, DCWP found that most Starbucks employees in New York City never received regular schedules, making it difficult for them to plan other commitments, such as childcare, education, or second jobs. The employer also routinely reduced employees’ hours by more than 15 percent. Further, it denied workers the opportunity to pick up additional shifts, keeping them involuntarily...
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