The Starbucks at the corner of Exchange and Middle streets in Portland’s Old Port closed in December 2022. At the time, the company said it had to vacate the premises because the building was being renovated. The National Labor Relations Board is accusing the company of closing the location and 22 others around the country because of unionization efforts. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

The National Labor Relations Board is accusing Starbucks of closing 23 stores, including a Portland location, in response to unionization efforts in 2022. Now, the NLRB wants an order requiring Starbucks to reopen those stores.

Starbucks closed its Old Port location late in 2022, just a month after workers there voted to form a union.

A union movement has swept across the nation’s Starbucks locations, where members of Starbucks Workers United are demanding better working conditions and guaranteed protections.

In August 2022, employees at the Starbucks at the corner of Middle and Exchange streets in Portland announced intentions to unionize. They wanted to address issues with pay and safety. That November, Starbucks announced it was closing that branch because the company had to vacate the premises while the building underwent renovations.

In a statement, Starbucks North American President Sara Trilling said that closing the store was a routine change. She declined to answer specific questions about where the company stands on the NLRB allegations.

Now, the NLRB wants Starbucks to not only reopen the Portland store but offer jobs back to all of the former employees and compensate employees who were financially impacted by the closure.

Starbucks workers in Biddeford participate in the “Red Cup Rebellion,” a nationwide strike demanding the company fully staff union stores and bargain in good faith. The one-day strike in Nov. 2022, was planned to coincide with the company’s Red Cup Day, the annual event where customers receive free Starbucks cups with certain purchases. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

The Maine AFL-CIO, one of the state’s largest labor organizations, applauded the decision as a move to hold Starbucks accountable and respect the rights of Maine workers.

“Corporations like Starbucks are not above the law even though they act like they are,” the union federation said.

The case now goes to an administrative judge, who will decide the fate of these 23 stores. However, Portland’s former Starbucks workers won’t see change anytime soon. A hearing won’t be scheduled until August 2024.