Washington (EFE)
Schultz, who resigned from office on March 20, almost two weeks earlier than expected, appeared on Wednesday before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, chaired by leftist legislator Bernie Sanders.
The former head defended the work of the unions, which, he recalled, in the 1950s and 1960s were at the service of workers in companies “where people had not been treated fairly and where, in some cases, there were cases wicked by employers who took advantage of employees.”
“I can only say that in my own company, based on the track record we have, we do not believe or prefer to be that type of company. We treat our people fairly. We do not do anything that is perverse, we put our people first, ”he assured.
Complaints about Starbucks by unions
The Senate committee is investigating complaints Starbucks received about its efforts to prevent unions at the company.
Earlier this month, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled that Starbucks committed “egregious and widespread” violations of federal law in its campaign to stop unions.
More than 280 Starbucks locations have voted to unionize in the country since 2021, but the company has fired 200 of its most active unionizing employees since then.
Asked by Democratic Sen. Patty Murray if he agrees with workers being able to decide whether or not to unionize, Schultz said he is and employees have that right.
However, he pointed out that “the Starbucks coffee company has the legal right to provide employees with a vision,” while clarifying that said “vision” consists of the company’s preference for maintaining a “direct relationship” with the workers. .
Murray stressed that there is information that Starbucks would have prevented tipping through credit cards to employees who seek to unionize or that it would be cutting their working hours in such a way that these workers would be losing social benefits, such as health insurance.
Schultz responded that he takes these accusations as “an offense” because they are something “that is not true.”
“We have never taken any benefits and never would have taken any benefits against someone interested in joining a union,” he said.
In sum, Schultz denied that the company has broken the law.
Sanders denounces an “anti-union campaign”
The former director assured that the company has negotiated “in good faith” with the employees who wanted to create a union, despite the fact that the president of the committee, Bernie Sanders, accused the firm of having carried out “the most aggressive and illegal anti-union campaign in the modern history of the country.
Schultz led Starbucks for 20 years over three different terms and has been succeeded by Laxman Narasimhan.