More Starbucks' closures could be coming. Is it about safety or union busting?
When Starbucks announced last week that that it was closing 16 stores due to what the company described as safety concerns, labor organizers at Starbucks Workers United said they spied a union-busting strategy playing out.
Since June, the National Labor Relations Board says unions have sprung up at 151 Starbucks stores across the country.
With the closure announcement, the conflict between unionized locations and Starbucks corporate has entered a new phase.
Soundside spoke to Seattle Times business reporter Renata Geraldo about where labor negotiations currently stand, and what these branch closures could mean for other locations.
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Libby Denkmann
Host, Soundside
Libby Denkmann joined KUOW in December 2021 as the host of the midday show Soundside. She’s a native Pacific Northwesterner who grew up in Redmond, graduated from the University of Washington, and covered local news as a producer and reporter with KIRO Radio.
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Noel Gasca
Producer, Soundside
Noel is a producer for KUOW’s midday show Soundside. Prior to joining Soundside, Noel worked as an online editor/producer with KUOW’s web team. She’s also a proud graduate of KUOW’s RadioActive program.
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