The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled that, while serving as Starbucks’ interim chief executive in 2022, Howard Schultz broke federal labor law by telling a barista in a discussion about unionization that “if you’re not happy at Starbucks, you can go work for another company.” The NLRB ordered Starbucks to post a notice of employee rights, including to organize, at its stores in Long Beach, where Schulz made the comments. The order also mandated Starbucks to cease and desist with threats to fire employees who unionize. A spokesperson for Starbucks said the company disagrees with the decision, but added: “Our focus continues to be on training and supporting our managers to ensure respect of our partners’ rights to organize and on progressing negotiations towards ratified store contracts this year.”