US Labor Council sues Starbucks over union demands for retaliation

Labor officials in the United States have petitioned a federal court to compel Starbucks to reinstate activist employees they say were fired because of their union campaigning, according to a filing Friday.

The head of Phoenix at the National Labor Relations Board is seeking an injunction against Starbucks that would require it to reinstate three employees who were allegedly unlawfully laid off, forced out or placed on unpaid leave.

The filing represents the latest in what is expected to be a long and costly legal battle between a union campaign and the global coffee chain.

Since August, more than 200 Starbucks locations have submitted papers to join a union under United Workers, a subsidiary of the Service Employees International Federation. So far, 24 stores have voted to join unions, with only two sites so far having voted against it.

But tension has risen between the two sides, with each accusing the other of illegal activity. The United Labor Organization has filed dozens of complaints of its own with the NLRB against Starbucks, alleging that the company has illegally retaliated against, harassed, and fired regulators in coffee shops across the country. The government agency also issued complaints against Starbucks.

For its part, Starbucks this week filed two complaints with the NLRB, alleging that the union that regulates its baristas violated federal labor law. Starbucks did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Friday’s filing argues that Starbucks retaliated against the three employees after learning that its employees were involved in pro-union activity. “An immediate injunction is necessary to ensure that an employer does not profit nationally from its unlawful conduct,” Cornell Overstreet, director of the NLRB, said in a statement.

CNBC’s Amelia Lucas contributed to this report.