Starbucks, citing safety, fires 7 seeking union in Memphis

By DEE-ANN DURBIN
AP Business Writer

Starbucks has fired seven employees who were leading an effort to unionize a Memphis, Tennessee, store. The Seattle coffee giant says the employees violated company policy by reopening a store after closing time and inviting non-employees to come inside. The employees used the store to do an interview with a local television station about their unionizing effort. But the employees who were fired say Starbucks was retaliating against them for their unionization efforts. The dispute comes as a growing number of Starbucks stores around the country are seeking to unionize.