Today in Labor History May 16, 2007: Long before the current wave of union organizing at Starbucks, Baristas at the Starbucks in East Grand Rapids announced their membership in the IWW Starbucks Workers Union. Starbucks was and is notorious for their poor treatment of workers. The NLRB slapped them with numerous anti-labor violations and forced them to settle the Grand Rapids dispute in October. The Supreme Court is in the process of hearing the case of seven union workers from a Memphis, Tennessee Starbucks who were fired in retaliation for joining the union, in violation of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rules.