Tag Archive for 'Starbucks'

It’s not enough that our current Presidential administration ignores that system of checks and balances that most middle schoolers can explain. Congress demanded contempt charges against Harriet Miers and Josh Bolten. Attorney General Mukasey, a Bush appointee, said no; wonders never cease. The executive branch does not need to justify its behavior anymore; they pronounce executive privilege and walk away.

As can be expected, Corporate America is taking the Bush administration’s lead. A judge just ordered Starbucks to pay $100 million in barista back-tips that were illegally shared with shift supervisors, and Starbucks plans to continue business as usual.

. . .the company also said, “Contrary to some reports, Starbucks has not taken money from any of its partners, and nor is there money to be refunded or returned from Starbucks.” A spokeswoman said Thursday that Starbucks Corp. has no intention of ending the practice of sharing tips among baristas and shift supervisors in California while it seeks an injunction.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Patricia Cowett, in her ruling last week, said there was “uncontroverted testimony that Starbucks continues to utilize the distribution of tips from the tip pool to compensate shift supervisors as well as baristas.” Cowett ordered Starbucks to pay thousands of California baristas $86.7 million plus interest for breaking the law. . .

David Lowe, an attorney for the baristas, said during the trial it was disclosed that a shift supervisor has direction over baristas and that California law specifically says a supervisor who directs others can’t take part in tip pools.

Starbucks can now look forward to similar class action suits in Minnesota and Massachussetts while it appeals the California judgement and Howard Schultz finds some cheese to go with his whine.

this ruling is extremely unfair and beyond reason.

I wonder where the baristas place the unfairness?

Even better, Fox Broadcasting is refusing to pay a $91,000 fine meted out by the FCC over a 2003 episode of Married in America featuring blurred-out naughty bits that upset some viewers.

Fox said it would not pay the fine on principle, calling it “arbitrary and capricious, inconsistent with precedent, and patently unconstitutional” in a statement released yesterday.

They’ll be fighting their fine.

Next corporations will just stop paying their taxes; it’s so much easier than lobbying for corporate welfare.