In May, Starbucks Corp. announced it would close its last two unionized corporate-run cafés in Cornell’s hometown of Ithaca, New York. It had previously shuttered the other location that organized. In response, Cornell’s student government passed a resolution, and activists staged a sit-in demanding that the university cease serving Starbucks coffee at its own cafés in response to the alleged union-busting.
Starbucks didn’t immediately provide comment. The company has denied retaliating against workers and said that it’s dealing with the union in good faith. The Ithaca stores were struggling with numerous absences and high turnover, according to Starbucks. Regional directors of the US National Labor Relations Board have issued 100 complaints accusing Starbucks of illegal anti-union tactics, including one accusing the company of refusing to fairly negotiate at unionized stores across the country. Another alleges one of the stores near Cornell was shut down “in large part to discourage unionization efforts in Ithaca and elsewhere.” Judges and NLRB members have ordered the company to reinstate 28 terminated activists.