Starbucks Illegally Fired Activists, Union Says in Complaint

The union organizing Starbucks Corp. employees filed a federal complaint accusing it of illegally firing activist employees, marking a new and more contentious chapter in the efforts to expand labor representation among the company’s workers.

In a Tuesday filing with the National Labor Relations Board, the union, Workers United, said Starbucks violated federal law by firing seven employees at a Memphis store in retaliation for activism. The union, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union, called for a federal court injunction “to prevent irreparable destruction of employee rights” resulting from the firings.

The Memphis location is one of dozens ...