Starbucks Corp (NASDAQ:SBUX) is trying to overturn votes by more than 200 stores across the US to unionise.
The coffee chain accused federal labour leaders overseeing the elections of misconduct and asked the elections for unionisation be suspended pending the outcome of an investigation, according to Reuters.
In a letter to National Labor Relations Board, the chain said agents of the board helped Workers United win the elections by manipulating the voting process and collaborating to cover up the behaviour.
Workers United in response said the letter was the “latest attempt to manipulate the legal process for their own means and prevent workers from exercising their fundamental right to organise.”
There is currently growing unionisation across the states, including workers at Amazon, Chipotle, Lululemon and Trader Joe’s.
None of Starbucks’ 9,000 locations in the US were unionised this time last year.