Revealed: Starbucks fired over 20 US union leaders in recent months

Workers at the coffee chain have filed petitions for union elections at more than 250 stores, but chief Howard Schultz publicly opposes the movement

Starbucks has fired over 20 union leaders around the US over the past several months as union organizing campaigns have spread across the country, the Guardian can reveal.

The news comes as Starbucks workers have filed petitions for union elections at more than 250 stores, spanning 35 states in the US. Starbucks' chief executive, Howard Schultz, has led a campaign against the union movement calling it some outside force that's going to dictate or disrupt who we are and what we do".