Following reports that increased pay and benefits were withheld from actively unionizing Starbucks employees nationwide, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and 30 of her Congressional colleagues are urging the multi-billion-dollar international coffee corporation to work with their unionizing employees.
“As workers renegotiate the compact between employee and employer across workplaces nationwide, we encourage both parties to work together, mend differences and unite to help build an economy that works for everyone,” members wrote.
In the letter to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, led by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), lawmakers said the reported discrimination against unionizing employees “could set an alarming precedent that, in our opinion, is not consistent with U.S. labor laws, including the National Labor Relations Act.”
The full letter is copied below and available online here.
Of the 9,000 Starbucks locations nationwide, 242 have unionized. In July, the Starbucks in Biddeford became the first Maine location to unionize. Workers at the Starbucks on the corner of Middle and Exchange Streets in Portland are organizing to become the second unionized location in Maine, citing pay and safety concerns.
In addition to Starbucks, large corporations like Chipotle have been reported to be engaging in union-busting tactics across the country, including Maine. In June, Chipotle in Augusta became the first store to file a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)...
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