Starbucks Illegally Hampered Worker’s Testimony, Judge Says (1)

Starbucks Corp. violated federal labor law by setting preconditions on a Seattle worker’s ability to testify at a National Labor Relations Board hearing in response to an agency subpoena, an NLRB judge held.

The company illegally told employees they can’t testify when subpoenaed without getting a co-worker to cover their shift, and threatened them with discipline if they failed to secure that coverage, Administrative Law Judge John Giannopoulos ruled Thursday.

The worker who was subpoenaed ultimately testified in an NLRB regional director’s hearing, as she was already scheduled to be off work that day, the judge said.

The company also ...