Chile blacklisted 36 companies over labor practices. Starbucks was fined $25,000 for discriminating against unions and bad faith in collective bargaining negotiations. The supermarket chain, Hipermercados Lider, owned by Wal-Mart, was fined $4,167 for not paying replacement worker bonuses. Starbucks and Wal-Mart are repeat offenders; Starbucks have been charged the highest fine by the courts for a second time.
Starbucks spokesman, Jim Olson, claims the company has not had Chilean government contracts in the past and does not plan to have them, so they don't see any impact on business. Olson responded to questions about the company's reputation with:
We're proud of the work environment we've created. He added the company "recognizes and respects" its employees rights to belong to unions.Wal-Mart was not available for comment, shocking I know. Starbucks had their first strike at a company-owned store, with the Chilean workers seeking pay that keeps up with inflation, a $100 monthly lunch stipend, and other benefits. Workers claim to have abandoned the strike without reaching an agreement with the company.
