Corporations v. Unions

 Emily Peck at Axios:

Starbucks workers are struggling to clear the biggest hurdle when it comes to union organizing — negotiating their first contract.

Why it matters: Though surveys show that the public is increasingly pro-labor, big employers — even widely recognized brands like Starbucks, Amazon and Tesla — are not shy about aggressively fending off unionization.

Driving the news: It's been a busy week. Tesla was accused of firing 30 employees in Buffalo in retaliation for announcing a union campaign, according to a charge filed at the National Labor Relations Board on Thursday, first reported by Bloomberg.

• The NLRB ruled on Monday that Starbucks unfairly fired two organizers in Philadelphia and ordered that they be reinstated with back pay.
• “We disagree with the decision and are considering all options to obtain a full legal review of the matter,” a Starbucks spokesperson told Axios in an email, adding that the employees violated policies.
• The labor board has lodged 77 complaints against the company since 2019 for unfair practices, like illegally firing workers or threatening and intimidating them. That appears to be the most complaints filed by the board against a company in recent history.