Starbucks sued by NYC government agency for illegally firing union organizer
New York, New York - Unionized Starbucks workers in New York City got a huge boost in their fight to have one of their fired colleagues reinstated after a government agency stepped in to back their case.
NYC's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) is suing Starbucks for illegally firing barista and well-known union organizer Austin Locke from his job at the store on Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria, Queens.
The DCWP said this is the first ever lawsuit launched over a violation of the "just cause" provision of the 2017 Fair Workweek Law.
Locke was fired just weeks after he helped his store become the first Starbucks location in Queens to unionize. According to the complaint, the company justified its decision by claiming that Locke had broken Covid-19 protocols and that he had lied about a supervisor getting physical with him during a disagreement.
Both Locke and his union, Starbucks Workers United (SWB), have consistently argued that these are just excuses to hide the fact that the firing was retaliation for his organizing efforts.
He's also not the only one making this accusation, with dozens of Starbucks employees suddenly finding themselves out of a job after voting to unionize, whether through being fired or having their store closed.
The legal tide has started to turn, however. A court has already ordered the coffee giant to reinstate organizers in Tennessee now known as the Memphis Seven, and the NLRB is also taking serious action against union-busting.
"As we approach Labor Day, it’s important to remember that workers are the backbone of our city & deserve the right to organize to promote safer + fairer work practices," DCWP Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga was quoted as saying.
Speaking of Labor Day, unionized Starbucks stores will be holding "sip-ins" on Monday. The idea is simple, yet powerful: buy as little as possible, tip baristas much as possible, and learn about their struggle for a better workplace.
Cover photo: IMAGO / NurPhoto