Starbucks fired seven workers who were involved in unionizing in Memphis, Tennessee, fueling accusations that the company is retaliating against a growing labor movement at its locations across the United States.
Highlights
- Starbucks fired seven workers who were involved in unionizing in Memphis, Tennessee.
- A company spokesman, Reggie Borges, said the workers were fired for serious security violations.
- The firings stem from an incident last month in which the employees allowed members of the media into the store as part of the public launch of their unionization effort.
- Starbucks denies that the firings were linked to the employees’ organizing efforts.
- The employees allowed the media in the private back-of-house area while leaving an unlocked door unattended, Borges said.
- Another staffer opened a safe when they weren’t authorized to do so, the spokesman said in an email.