DENVER — A federal judge has ordered the coffee giant Starbucks to rehire two Colorado baristas they illegally terminated because they supported forming a union at their stores.
The judge for the National Labor Relations Board ruled baristas Ryan Dinaro, who was fired from the Tremont store in Denver, and Joseph Mathis, who worked at a Colorado Springs Starbucks, should both get their jobs back.
Not only does Starbucks have to offer to hire them back, but the judge also ordered to give them back pay for the time they were out of work.
A release from Starbucks Workers United said baristas across Colorado played a part in a nationwide movement of over 9,000 Starbucks workers organizing together for justice, fighting for improvements on core issues including respect, living wages, racial and gender equity and fair scheduling.
"Since Workers United's organizing campaign at Starbucks began, more than 1,000 total charges have been filed by the Company and the union against one another," a Starbucks spokesperson said in an email. "As this backlog of charges works its way through the dispute resolution process designed by Congress, we continue to act in a manner that is consistent with established law, rooted in our mission, values and promises, and responsive to our partners — regardless of union status."
The judge also ruled that Starbucks engaged in “objectionable conduct warranting setting aside the results” of a mail-ballot election held at its Academy store in Colorado Springs between April and May 2022 and ordered the coffee company to conduct a new election.
Just a month ago, a judge sent down a similar ruling for an employee from Superior which was the first location in Colorado to unionize.
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