Labor board takes Starbucks to court over alleged violations

By DEE-ANN DURBIN
AP Business Writer

The National Labor Relations Board is asking a federal court to order Starbucks to stop interfering with unionization efforts at its U.S. stores. It’s the third time the board has filed a case in federal court against Starbucks since December, when a store in Buffalo, New York, became the first Starbucks location in decades to unionize. Since then, more than 289 U.S. stores have petitioned the NLRB to hold union elections and at least 151 stores have voted to unionize. Starbucks opposes the unionization effort, saying its stores function better when it works directly with employees.