City Council Condemns Union-Busting and Unfair Labor Practices of Starbucks Corporation

Last month, unionized workers of the Starbucks store near Boston University located at 874 Commonwealth Avenue in Brookline went on strike, exercising their rights to engage in concerted activity protected under federal law by the National Labor Relations Act.

The 874 Commonwealth Avenue baristas are among several groups of Boston-area workers who voted in union elections to be represented by Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union, part of a larger national movement of Starbucks workers organizing in the workplace.

Starbucks partners at 874 Commonwealth Avenue, as well as baristas locally and nationally, allege that upon unionization they have been subject to unfair labor practices including understaffing and under-scheduling, restrictive policies such as availability requirements, denial of benefits, changes in operations, threats of discipline or termination, and hostile work environments.

Upon increased national unionization efforts, it has been widely reported that Starbucks baristas involved in organizing have been subject to intensified union-busting and anti-union misinformation.

The National Labor Relations Board has charged Starbucks with over 200 unfair labor practice violations nationally and baristas across the country have launched over fifty strikes since January 2022.

During this week’s Council meeting, the Council adopted a resolution condemning union-busting and unfair labor practices of the Starbucks Corporation, including any use of strikebreakers.