Catherwood LibraryILR School

A judge from the National Labor Relations Board has ruled that Starbucks is required to reopen its Ithaca locations and reinstate the workers from these stores. Starbucks stated that its plans on contesting the decision, and action to restore the Ithaca locations will not occur unless of a successful injunction in federal court. All three Starbucks in Ithaca were shut down over the past year. These stores had voted to unionize, and the judge stated that Starbucks closed the stores to discourage the unionization of Starbucks workers. Unionized workers were not given the opportunity to bargain with Starbucks before the stores closed, which violates labor laws. Over 300 Starbucks locations around the country have voted to unionize over the last few years, but not a single location has successfully been able to negotiate a contract with Starbucks.