The Industrial
Workers of the World (AKA IWW or Wobblies) have been trying to organize
Starbucks for much of the past decade and many baristas have become dues-paying
members of the union as a result of these efforts. At least one barista was coming
to work wearing several pro-IWW buttons. Starbucks argued that by wearing more
than one button they were converting themselves into “personal message boards”
for the union. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled
in Starbucks’ favor, according to MSNBC.
The court
ruling overturned an earlier National Labor Relations Board decision that
allowed the wearing of multiple buttons as free speech, saying the "board
has gone too far in invalidating Starbucks's one-button limitation."
Very few (if
any) of the thousands of Starbucks outlets are currently unionized.
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