Supreme Court to Hear Starbucks Appeal Over Fired Memphis Labor Activists

The Supreme Court will review Starbucks’ appeal against a lower court’s order to rehire labor activists in Memphis, Tennessee. The activists were dismissed following their disclosure of a union organizing drive to local media. For years, the coffee chain has been battling an organized labor movement that has been actively trying to unionize baristas across the United States. In this case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit upheld a federal district judge’s temporary order directing the company to reinstate a group of employees known in organizing circles as the Memphis Seven. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), an independent federal agency that aims to protect the rights of private sector employees to join together to improve their wages and workplace conditions, said Starbucks blocked lawful organizing activities by the baristas....