☕️ Grab a cup’o Joe: Starbucks CEO to testify before Senate over unionizing opposition
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is feeling the heat as Congress investigates the company’s “intense opposition” to national efforts to unionize its stores. Under the threat of a subpoena from Senator Bernie Sanders (according to The Guardian), Schultz will be stepping up to the plate before the U.S. Senate health, education, labor and pensions (Help) committee as answer some challenging questions.
Congress is investigating Starbucks' opposition to unionization efforts because there is growing concern about the impact of anti-union practices on workers' rights and economic inequality. According to the Biden Administration, unionization can give workers a voice in their workplace and provide them with bargaining power to negotiate better wages, benefits, and working conditions. The investigation is looking into allegations that Starbucks has engaged in unfair labor practices and union-busting tactics to prevent its workers from unionizing. These practices, if proven true, would violate workers' rights and undermine the integrity of the democratic process for workers to decide whether to unionize. Congress is conducting this investigation to determine whether Starbucks and other corporations are engaging in similar practices to prevent their workers from unionizing.
Sean O’Brien, Teamsters International president, is under fire from senior union members for agreeing to appear at the upcoming Republican national convention.