Opinion ID: 799606
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Discharge of Joseph Agins

Text: Beginning in May 2004, Joseph Agins worked at Starbucks's 9th Street store as a barista. In 2005, Agins became a vocal union supporter, and was identified as such by management in internal communications. The May 14 incident. On May 14, 2005, Agins was working with Assistant Store Manager (ASM) Tanya James and one other employee. During a particularly busy period, Agins became agitated with James after she refused his request to help. When she eventually came to help, Agins said that it was about damn time she came on the line, and shoved a blender in the sink, causing a loud noise. He later stated, [T]his is bullshit, and told James to do everything your damn self. When James told Agins to clock out, he initially refused. Based on this encounter, Starbucks generated a corrective action notice that informed Agins that the aforementioned behavior, if repeated will result in termination of employment at Starbucks Corporation. However, the notice was never provided to Agins. Nevertheless, Agins was suspended for several days and apologized for his outburst. The November 21 incident. Several months later, Agins and several other off-duty employees entered the 9th Street store to show support for on-duty workers who had been instructed, pursuant to the prior policy, to remove their pro-union pins. Agins and his companions were wearing union t-shirts, caps, and insignia, including pro-union pins and buttons. Shortly after the group entered the store, Agins was approached by Ifran Yablon, an off-duty manager from the company's Upper West Side store, who happened to be a regular customer at the 9th Street store. There was bad blood between the two. At an IWW rally several months before, Yablon had allegedly made derogatory remarks to Agins's father about the father's support for the IWW. Yablon engaged Agins in a conversation about his union pin and whether Starbucks employees really needed a union. At some point, Agins spoke of Yablon's alleged insult to his father, and the conversation became heated. Both men used hand gestures, spoke loudly, and used obscenities. Agins admitted that he told Yablon, You can go fuck yourself, if you want to fuck me up, go ahead, I'm here. Agins's fellow supporters then intervened to stop the argument, and he withdrew with them to a table while James approached Yablon and told him to leave it alone. Yablon then left the store, and James went over to the table and admonished Agins. He listened to her and did not utter obscenities or make threatening gestures toward her. Agins and his companions left the store approximately ten minutes later. Agins is fired. On December 12, when Agins came into work, he was asked to sit at the rear of the store with two managers. They informed him that he was being discharged for disrupting business. A subsequent document filed by Agins's District Manager (DM) stated that Agins would be ineligible for rehire because [p]artner was insubordinate and threatened the store manager. Partner strongly support [sic] the IWW union.