Starbucks illegally blocked raises for union workers, labor board says

Starbucks illegally withheld pay and benefits from thousands of unionized workers, the National Labor Relations Board alleged in a complaint filed Wednesday.

The NLRB is seeking back payments and benefits for baristas who have unionized in May and to require that interim CEO Howard Schultz read a statement to workers about their rights to organize. 

The coffee chain's blocking of incentives to union workers was meant to hinder efforts at organizing, alleges the NLRB, the federal agency in charge of enforcing U.S. labor laws. The complaint comes amid a union drive at Starbucks locations across the nation — a push that management has opposed, arguing the company runs better when dealing directly with its workers.