After Starbucks fired a Manhattan store supervisor, a federal court reinstated him and ordered the company to return his unpaid dues.
NLRB Administrative Judge Benjamin Green said in his judgement that Starbucks had violated federal law while terminating the services of Rhythm Heaton.
The Manhattan supervisor was fired from the job for asking employees to join a worker’s union.
Judge Green said Starbucks risked breaching the relevant labour law “by discharging an excellent employee at a time when the short-handed Astor Place store was already advertising to hire another shift supervisor.”
Animosity behind firing
The National Labour Relations Board said there was a strong and striking animus behind the company’s termination of Heaton, who was a shift supervisor at Starbucks’ Astor Place store.
Green also ordered Starbucks to cease and desist from sacking and discipling employees for joining worker unions.
Starbucks can appeal against this decision in the higher courts.
The company disagreed with the decision saying Heaton was terminated because of discipline-related issues.
Starbucks said, “Heaton was separated from our Astor Place store following progressive discipline for violations of established cash-handling and time and attendance policies – not in retaliation for their participation in, or support of, any concerted union activities.”
Heaton’s lawyer said that the judgement helps other Starbucks workers in securing just and democratic workplaces.
Carley Russell, who represented Heaton, said the labour court’s ruling showed that Starbucks cannot “crush the union with impunity.”
‘Good worker’
In his decision, Green observed that Heaton was a good worker who regularly worked extra shifts because of the pandemic-induced short staffing.
Heaton joined Starbucks as a barista in 2018 and became a supervisor in 2021. The judgement noted that Heaton began facing resistance from the company after organizing workers to join a union.
Keep watching our YouTube Channel ‘DNP INDIA’. Also, please subscribe and follow us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER.