The nationwide battle between Starbucks and employees looking to unionize played out Monday night outside a Great Neck store where protesters demanded the coffee giant rehire a fired worker and labor organizer.
The rally at the store on 6 Great Neck Rd. drew nearly 100 people and took place hours after Starbucks asked the National Labor Relations Board to temporarily suspend all union elections at its U.S. stores, citing allegations from a board employee that regional NLRB officials improperly coordinated with union organizers.
Starbucks and union organizers nationwide have been in an extended fight, with both sides issuing accusations of illegal, improper or unfair practices.
Late last month, Chuquillanqui, 28, a former shift supervisor at the Great Neck Road store, said she was terminated over tardiness complaints. She has said those complaints were excessive and an excuse for management to fire her. A Starbucks spokesperson responded: "A partner’s interest in a union does not exempt them from the standards we have always held." The union filed an unfair labor practice complaint over Chuquillanqui’s termination last month, a Workers United spokeswoman said.