The progressive worker-friendly reputation of coffee giant Starbucks is taking a big hit at an ongoing NLRB hearing investigating accusations of 32 violations of labor law. The charges, centered mostly around Starbucks' alleged prevention of unionization, stem from the firings of several employees in 2005 and 2006. The IWW alleges that the firings were in fact the suppression of pro-union activity, and hopes to highlight a darker, more oppressive atmosphere underneath Starbucks' progressive veneer.
See "Starbucks: A Baristas Union?", Moira Herbst, Business Week, August 16, 2007