In early February 2022, Starbucks fired seven workers at a Memphis location amid controversy related to the unionization of Starbucks employees. While Starbucks claimed the firings were the result of violated policies, workers argued the policies were unclear. The firings appear to be the latest spark in a growing fire that involves Starbucks workers who want to unionize and are facing pushback from the corporation. The first corporate Starbucks store unionized in Buffalo, New York, in December 2021. The incident was preceded by executive-level Starbucks officials traveling to Buffalo to try to deter unionization. On Jan. 10, 2022, another Starbucks store in Buffalo unionized. Now workers at more than 50 stores in 19 states across the country have considered unionizing—a number too large to make it possible for high-profile Starbucks figures to visit each location individually. Starbucks Workers United has a Twitter account with more than 30,000 followers. On Feb. 9, …