The labor board has denied another Starbucks bid to delay union ballot counts as workers say that the company has started slashing hours without prior warning, endangering employees’ finances.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that the company’s argument that union elections should be held region-wide rather than store-by-store was invalid, meaning that ballots for three stores in Buffalo, New York, will soon be counted. In February, the NLRB formally rejected Starbucks’s argument, which the company has used in every location’s election so far, setting a precedent against its validity.
Workers have filed to unionize at over 110 locations so far, and three stores have voted to form a union. As the campaign gains momentum, however, Starbucks appears to be getting ever bolder in its union-busting efforts. On Monday, Starbucks Workers United wrote that the company is cutting hours across the board in order to disrupt workers’ lives.