Starbucks Illegally Threatened Workers, NLRB Judge Rules (2)

Starbucks Corp. made a series of illegal threats to its workers during a union election drive at its signature Seattle Roastery, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled.

The company violated federal labor law by telling workers it would be futile for them to join a union, Administrative Law Judge John Giannopoulos held Tuesday. Starbucks also unlawfully threatened to reduce or end benefits if workers voted to unionize, and said it would prioritize non-union stores while those with unions would miss out on added benefits, the judge found.

The workers elected Starbucks Workers United as their bargaining ...