Starbucks asks labor board to suspend mail-in ballot union elections, alleging misconduct in voting process

Starbucks Workers United t-shirts hang outside while unionized workers strike for unfair labor practices outside a Starbucks location on 874 Commonwealth Avenue in the Brookline neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, US, on Tuesday, July 19, 2022.

Starbucks wants the federal labor board to suspend all mail-in ballot union elections nationwide, accusing the board's personnel and the union organizing its baristas of vote rigging.

In a letter to the National Labor Relations Board chairman and general counsel on Monday, the Seattle-based coffee giant said that the labor board's officials acted in a way that was inappropriate during an election in the Kansas City area. Starbucks said that a professional from the National Labor Relations Board contacted the company as a whistle blower.

There are more than 220 Starbucks cafes in the US that have voted to unionize. More than 30 elections have been ordered or are in progress, and seven more stores are waiting to schedule elections.

Starbucks Workers United and the National Labor Relations Board did not respond to CNBC's questions.

Starbucks wants all future elections to be held in person while the allegations are investigated.

Starbucks claims that the labor board arranged for in-person voting at the labor board's offices during mail-in ballot elections. Workers United agents were given confidential, real-time information about vote counts so they could target employees who hadn't voted yet, according to the company. The company said that the National Labor Relations Board and Workers United collaborated to cover up the activity.

The email correspondence was between union representatives and labor board officials. The company was made aware of the contents of the emails.

Starbucks said that there have been elections in Seattle and Buffalo.

The company said in the letter that until a thorough investigation is conducted, it is not possible to say how many elections have been affected.

Starbucks has taken a more aggressive stance against unionization efforts. The number of unionized cafes is small compared to Starbucks' nearly 9000 company-owned cafes.

In May, the company announced a new round of pay hikes for tenured workers but said the changes wouldn't apply to unionized locations. Workers United asked the company to increase pay to those locations.

The National Labor Relations Board accuses Starbucks of 284 unfair labor practices. The company is accused of illegally firing organizers, closing stores or harassing employees to stop them from unionizing. Starbucks has denied the claims.