Starbucks fires workers involved in union push as US movement gains momentum

Starbucks has fired seven workers involved in organising a union in Tennessee, fueling accusations that the coffee giant is retaliating against the growing labor movement it faces nationwide.

The workers – a third of the total workforce at the Memphis location – were fired on Tuesday, including most of the union organising committee.

Starbucks Workers United (SWU), the union helping several stores organize, accused the coffee chain of “union-busting” and selectively enforcing company policies as a “subterfuge” to fire union leaders.

The firings stem from a media event last month when the employees allowed journalists into the cafe after hours as part of the public launch of their efforts to unionize.