New York City sues Starbucks for firing union-organizing barista

A New York City agency overseeing workplace affairs said on Friday it sued Starbucks because the coffee chain illegally fired a longtime barista and union organizer shortly after employees in his store voted to join a union.

The action comes as Starbucks appoints a new chief executive and the company, along with Amazon and others, are being accused of slow-walking negotiations over union contracts in an attempt to dam a wave of unionization efforts across the country.

A Starbucks spokeswoman said the Seattle-based company does not discuss pending litigation, but plans to defend against claims it violated the law.

Both incidents took place two days after the unionization vote, the petition said.

He called on Starbucks to negotiate a contract with Starbucks Workers United, which represents employees at more than 200 stores.

Last month, Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc agreed to pay $20m to about 13,000 workers to settle city claims it violated the fair workweek law.

Chipotle was accused of failing to give workers their schedules two weeks in advance, award premium pay for unscheduled shifts, and let workers use accrued sick leave.

Reuters contributed to this story