This browser does not support the Video element.
NYC sues Starbucks after union organizer fired
New York City is suing Starbuck for allegedly wrongfully terminating a barista who helped organize a Queens location.
NEW YORK - New York City is suing Starbucks for allegedly wrongfully terminating a barista who helped organize a union at a Queens location.
The lawsuit was filed by the city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. It claims the employee, identified as Austin Locke, was let go less than a month after he and his coworkers voted to unionize a Starbucks in Queens.
The city says this is the first time it has filed suit for an alleged violation of its "just cause" protections for fast-food workers.
Get breaking news alerts in the free FOX5NY News app! | Sign up for FOX 5 email newsletters
The company says the worker was not fired for union activities but was let go for not filling out a COVID-19 questionnaire and falsely reporting that a supervisor made physical contact with him.
More than 220 U.S. Starbucks stores have voted to unionize.
Last month a federal judge ordered Starbucks to reinstate seven employees in Memphis, Tennessee who were fired after leading an effort to unionize a location there.