Starbucks Store Illegally Solicited Complaints, NLRB Judge Says

An Oregon Starbucks store illegally solicited grievances to prevent employees from unionizing, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled.

NLRB Administrative Law Judge John Giannopoulos said in a Monday opinion that a Starbucks store in Salem, Ore. violated federal labor law when a district manager met with workers to discuss workplace grievances shortly after the union petition was filed, though it did not break the law by firing a store manager who refused to eavesdrop on workers on management’s behalf.

Lawyers for the NLRB’s general counsel argued that the store’s district manager illegally met with employees one-on-one to solicit grievances ...