Judge recommends order for Starbucks to rehire, compensate "unlawfully" fired Colorado workers
A federal administrative judge with the National Labor Relations Board -- which oversees labor issues and allegations of unfair workplace practices -- ruled on Tuesday that Starbucks unlawfully fired two Colorado baristas who were involved in organizing a union at their locations and in a recommended order, said the company should rehire them and give them back pay.
Judge Mara-Louise Anzalone ruled that Starbucks unlawfully terminated Ryan Dinaro from a Denver location and Joseph Mathis in Colorado Springs due to their union activities, in violation of the National Labor Relations Act.
"I am planning to return to Starbucks to fight for a contract because my coworkers deserve better," Dinaro said in a statement released by Starbucks Workers United. "They deserve stable hours so they can consistently keep healthcare and tuition. They deserve safety committees to remind management that attempted robbery, menacing, and assault on property is not normal, and security upgrades are desperately needed. They deserve a standard pay raise schedule so they don't need to beg management."
Anzalone said she found "abundant evidence of animus in the actions taken against him."
This represents the second time a judge issued a ruling of this nature in Colorado in just over a month.
RELATED: Judge orders Starbucks to rehire, give back pay to fired Colorado union leader; Starbucks to appeal
A Starbucks spokesman disputed the findings and said the company is exploring options to appeal the decision.
"We are exploring options for further legal review of the Administrative Law Judge's recommendations. A recent independent, third-party assessment was clear that Starbucks has not used an 'anti-union' playbook and has provided consistent reassurances to partners that it respects their right to freely associate and to collectively bargain without fear of reprisal or retaliation," Starbucks spokesman Andrew Trull told CBS News Colorado. "Starbucks remains ready to progress in-person negotiations with the unions certified to represent partners and we are hopeful that Workers United will resume bargaining sessions toward ratified agreements in 2024."
The third-party assessment refers to one commissioned by Starbucks, which Starbucks says vindicates them. That report said its authors found no evidence of an "anti-union playbook" at Starbucks, but also said it's clear that the company prefers its stores not unionize. The company provided that report to CBS News Colorado and also has it posted on its website.
RELATED: Supreme Court to hear case on Starbucks' firing of pro-union baristas
While NLRB and federal administrative law judges' findings and rulings aren't final, they have found through several investigations and inquiries that Starbucks has violated its workers' rights hundreds of times. Now the U.S. Supreme Court is set to take on one case of Starbucks' appeals.