‘Pure propaganda’: inside Starbucks’ anti-union tactics

In a state where labor culture isn't strong, a Denver store's union drive is notable. As soon as it was announced, high-ranking company figures began visiting

When Starbucks management came for Sean Andrews, it didn't surprise him, exactly. Tensions were already running high in the Denver coffee shop where he worked. A few days prior, Andrews' fellow baristas had walked off the job in a six-hour strike. They were demonstrating for their unionization effort and against what they saw as a sustained pattern of anti-labor tactics by Starbucks.

Workers knew the strike was an escalation and expected retaliation. Even so, Andrews was unprepared when the Denver Starbucks district manager pulled him aside before a shift, forced him to turn off his phone and asked him to take a call. The woman on the other end would eventually identify herself as a corporate investigator" who looks into losses in stores.