Starbucks pushes back on claims of union-busting in Portland

Peter Van Allen The lease for Starbucks at the corner of Middle and Exchange streets will expire April 30, 2023, but Starbucks must leave the building Jan. 1 due to renovations, a company spokesperson says.

Write a Comment

By Ann Fisher

The Maine AFL-CIO and a U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, slammed Starbucks this week for its plans to close its Old Port shop in what they say is a clear union-busting move, but a Starbucks spokesperson is firmly refuting that allegation.

Pingree, other congressional leaders and the AFL-CIO on Tuesday called on the National Labor Relations Board to investigate Starbucks for what Pingree called “blatant union-busting tactics.”

The call for accountability came after the Seattle-based retail giant announced it would be closing the shop at Middle and Exchange streets by Dec. 23, after employees voted to pursue unionization Oct. 18.

“Starbucks’ decision to close one of its busiest stores in Portland less than a month after workers formed a union appears to be a brazen violation of the National Labor Relations Act,” Pingree said in a prepared release. “The widespread practice of large multi-billion-dollar corporations punishing workers who collectively bargain is despicable. They must be held accountable.”

Maine AFL-CIO President Cynthia Phinney also weighed-in on Starbucks’ decision to close one of its three stores on the peninsula, saying, “Less than a month after workers at the Starbucks in the Old Port voted overwhelmingly to unionize, the company — in an act of illegal union busting — has announced it is closing the store. This is the most egregious anti-union tactic and it is a blatant violation of the right of workers to unionize free from retaliation under the National Labor Relations Act.”

In response to an inquiry from Mainebiz, a Starbucks spokeswoman said, “Any claims of union busting are false. … We routinely review the partner and customer experience in all our stores, to see if the store is thriving, partners are feeling supported, and that we are meeting customer needs.”

The lease for 176 Middle St. will expire April 30, 2023, but Starbucks must leave the building by Jan. 1 due to renovations, according to the emailed response.

Peter Van Allen

The Starbucks at the corner of Middle and Exchange streets in the Old Port will close Dec. 23, because the space is not large enough to accommodate the number of customers, the company says, and the lease will not be renewed.

“After careful consideration, Starbucks has made the decision to close the Middle & Exchange Street store. Our last day at this location will be Friday, December 23, 2022,” the spokeswoman said. “The space is no longer meeting business needs given its small size so a lease renewal will not occur.”

Starbucks has nearby stores at 145 Commercial St. and 594 Congress St.

Unionized stores

Citing pay and safety concerns, of the 9,000 Starbucks in the U.S., 242 locations have now unionized.

Workers at the Starbucks in Biddeford were seen picketing Thursday, one of 100 stores nationwide to take to the streets. In July, the Biddeford Starbucks became the first Maine location to unionize; workers at the Starbucks at the corner of Middle and Exchange Streets in the Old Port are organizing to become the second unionized location in the state.

Following reports that increased pay and benefits were withheld from unionizing Starbucks employees nationwide, Pingree and 30 of her colleagues urged the company to work with them.

In a letter sent to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz in early October, the lawmakers said the alleged discrimination “could set an alarming precedent that, in our opinion, is not consistent with U.S. labor laws, including the National Labor Relations Act.”

“As workers renegotiate the compact between employee and employer across workplaces nationwide, we encourage both parties to work together, mend differences and unite to help build an economy that works for everyone,” the congressional delegation wrote.

Phinney, the Maine AFL-CIO president, also called for an investigation by the National Labor Relations Board, saying, “We urge the National Labor Relations Board to demand that Starbucks reverse its harmful decision and bargain with its employees. In the meantime, Maine workers will continue to organize, build power and fight back against these abuses and hold corporations accountable for their unethical behavior.”

Andy O'Brien, communications director for Maine AFL-CIO, said in a Wednesday email to Mainebiz, "According to the organizer from Workers United [the union Starbucks workers are affiliated with], they have not filed an injunction."

Pingree said she received a response to the letter from Starbucks saying the Fortune 500 company “remains committed to good faith negotiation and satisfying all collective bargaining obligations.

“Today we can confirm that was just lip service,” Pingree said Tuesday. “The NLRB must investigate and protect workers in Maine and across the country.”

“Our goal is to ensure that every partner is supported in their individual situation, and we have immediate opportunities available in the market,” the Starbucks representative said of the decision to close the Portland store. “We will bargain with the union in good faith to discuss the impact of this decision on the partners including the opportunities for transfers to other stores.”

“This has nothing to do with the store being a union-certified store. Instead, this has everything to do with ensuring our partners are given the Partner Experience that is to the Starbucks standard.”