Starbucks Urged by Pension Funds to Order Labor Rights Audit (1)

A group of investors led by New York City’s pension funds filed a shareholder proposal calling for an audit of workers’ rights at Starbucks Corp., escalating scrutiny over the coffee chain’s response to a widening US union campaign.

The resolution urges Starbucks directors to commission and publicly release a third-party assessment of the company’s compliance with its stated commitments to honor workers’ collective bargaining rights. It cites allegations of lawbreaking by Starbucks management, including store closures and retaliatory anti-union firings, some of which are now being pursued by the US National Labor Relations Board.

“We believe the apparent ...