Howard Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks, is set to face questioning from Bernie Sanders about the company’s alleged union-busting during a Senate hearing set for Wednesday morning.
Despite stepping down from his post on March 20th, Schultz remains on the company’s board and is its fifth-largest shareholder with a 1.9% stake.
Sanders, who has been pressuring Starbucks for over a year to recognize the union and negotiate contracts with unionized cafes, will question Schultz on the company’s approach to negotiations.
Schultz will defend Starbucks’ direct relationship with workers, claiming it is what is best for the company.
In the past, Schultz declined an invitation to testify about the company’s handling of the union push, but after Sanders called for a vote on whether to subpoena Schultz, the former CEO agreed to appear in front of the panel.
Schultz moved aggressively to stem the organizing wave that began under his predecessor, Kevin Johnson, announcing higher wages, better benefits, and card tipping for non-union locations, as well as a reinvention plan that included automating tasks that baristas found tedious.
According to data from the National Labor Relations Board, as of Monday, 391 company-owned cafes have filed petitions to unionize, while 294 have voted to unionize under Starbucks Workers United.
The union has made more than 500 complaints of unfair labor practices related to Starbucks with the federal labor board. Judges have found that the company has illegally threatened baristas, fired workers and prohibited union literature.
Starbucks has denied the allegations and filed roughly 100 of its own complaints against the union.
Despite the ongoing union push, none of the unionized stores have agreed on a contract with Starbucks.
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