Starbucks

The National Labor Relations Board is asking a court to reinstate seven Starbucks workers in Buffalo, N.Y. who were allegedly fired illegally because they were involved in union organizing.

The decision to close the store on College Avenue has left workers with less than a week's notice and resulted in them calling for a boycott of other Starbucks stores around the city.

A federal judge in Arizona ruled that Starbucks did not have to reinstate or give accommodations to three employees who claim they were retaliated against for organizing a union.

Starbucks gave the employees at the College Ave. location in Ithaca, N.Y., a one-week notice of the closure, the union says, with the store slated to permanently close on June 10.

The national movement for Starbucks unionization had its first major victory in Oklahoma yesterday.

The coffee chain joins McDonald's in taking its brand out of the country. Starbucks had temporarily paused operations in March.

A National Labor Relations Board official outlined a host of labor law violations in a filing seeking reinstatement and backpay for the employees.

Starbucks workers have driven a surge in union election petitions filed with the National Labor Relations Board. Unionizing has also picked up at colleges, non-profits and pot dispensaries.

Twenty Starbucks stores have now unionized. Around 220 Starbucks stores have sought elections, with more added every day.

Federal officials asked the court to have the employees reinstated. At least 28 Starbucks stores across the country have voted to form a union.