House Republicans subpoena labor authorities in Starbucks union dispute

The House Education and Labor Committee has issued a subpoena to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Committee Chair Virginia Foxx alleges officials of the labor body failed to conduct fair and impartial union elections at Starbucks. Top Republicans claim an NLRB report confirms the allegations made by Starbucks that NLRB agents helped Workers United win elections by manipulating the voting process and collaborated with the union to cover up their actions. Foxx has requested a regional NLRB official to provide documents to see if the federal labor board mishandled Starbucks Union elections.

The labor body’s adjudicators have found Starbucks has broken labor laws hundreds of times, and federal court judges have issued injunctions mandating that the company ceases to do so. Employees at over 280 of Starbucks’ roughly 9,000 company-operated US locations have voted to join a labor union since 2021 seeking better pay and benefits, improved health and safety conditions, and protection against unfair dismissal.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the news, and Foxx has asked the NLRB to provide documents to the committee on March 29. Neither Starbucks nor Starbucks Workers United has offered an immediate response to Reuters’ request for comment.