Here are my questions, please answer them in your own words at least 7-8 sentences.

1) Why did Starbucks fight the unionization of employees?

2) Did Starbucks act unethically in this case?

3) Why do you think employees of a company like Starbucks would fight to unionize?

In the following case, the court was called on to determine whether an employer had engaged in unfair labor practices. FEDERAL COURT CASE Unfair Labor Practice CASE 21.1 National Labor Relations Board v. Starbucks Corporation 679 F.3d 70, 2012 U.S. App. Lexis 9537 (2012) United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit labor practices in violation of Section 8(a) of the "The company is entitled to avoid the distraction from its messages that a number of union buttons National Labor Relations Act. The Board filed a peti tion for enforcement of its order. Starbucks accepted would risk." the Board's determinations except for alleging on -Newman, Circuit Judge appeal that its one-button dress policy is not an una labor practice. Facts The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) is a labor Issue union. The IWW engaged in a highly visible campaign Is Starbucks's one-button policy an unfair labor to organize the employees at four Starbucks coffee shops located in Manhattan, New York City, which practice? were owned by Starbucks Corporation. Among other efforts, union supporters held protests, attempted to Language of the Court recruit Starbucks's employees to join the union, and We conclude that the Board has gone too far made numerous statements to the media. Many Star- bucks employees engaged in pro-union activities and in invalidating Starbucks's one button limi- participated in pro-union events. tation. The company is entitled to avoid the distraction from its messages that a num- In response, Starbucks mounted an anti-union ber of union buttons would risk. The record campaign aimed at tracking and restricting the growth of pro-union sentiment. Starbucks adopted a reveals that one employee attempted to display number of restrictive policies, including prohibiting eight union pins on her pants, shirts, hat, and employees from discussing the union or the terms apron. The company adequately maintains the and conditions of their employment and prohibiting opportunity to display pro-union sentiment by the posting of union material on bulletin boards in permitting one, but only one, union button on employee areas. Starbucks also engaged in employ- work-place clothing. ment discrimination against pro-union employees regarding work opportunities. When employees Decision appeared at work wearing numerous pro-union but- tons and pins on their work clothing, Starbucks enforcement of its one-button dress code is not an The U.S. court of appeals concluded that Starbucks's instituted a dress code rule that employees could unfair labor practice. wear only one pro-union button of a reasonable size to work. Critical Legal Thinking Questions The National Labor Relations Board (Board), a fed- Why did Starbucks fight the unionization of its employees? eral agency charged with enforcing labor law, issued Did Starbucks act unethically in this case? an order that Starbucks's conduct constituted unfair