MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Workers at the Memphis Starbucks location which received heat after firing five union organizers and two other employees in February - now known as the Memphis 7 - have voted to unionize.
The vote was held Tuesday morning. The vote was 11 to 3 in favor of unionization.
Although Starbucks denies the allegations that the seven workers were fired for organizing a store union, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) believes otherwise after conducting an investigation into the store management's handling of its employee's unionizing efforts.
The NLRB filed a petition in a U.S. District Court on May 10 requesting that courts force the employer to "cease and desist" unfair labor practice and immediately rehire the seven workers who were fired.
The petition listed several ways that NLRB said the Starbucks employer violated labor laws.
According to Starbucks, the workers were fired for reasons that were unrelated to the union campaign, and they explained that the employees took actions that violated the store's safety and security policies.
The Memphis 7 have received local and national support throughout their fight against Starbucks' alleged union busting practices.