Prof. Matthew Bodie Quoted by MarketWatch Regarding Barista Strike at Starbucks

Professor Matthew Bodie was quoted by MarketWatch regarding a strike that began last week of Starbucks Workers United union that’s demanding better pay and improved staffing. The union said the strike began with 65 stores across more than 42 cities. The work action, it added, could expand to the more than 550 stores in which baristas are represented if a labor deal isn’t reached. More than 12,000 Starbucks workers have unionized since late 2021, when baristas first voted to organize at a store in Buffalo, N.Y. But since then, negotiations over a contract have stumbled, and the union has accused the company of scores of labor-law violations, bad-faith bargaining and of trying to suppress organization. Prof. Bodie said, “Unfortunately, federal labor law does not have good answers for when employers drag their feet or bargain in bad faith.”