Sanders demands answers from Starbucks’ CEO
WASHINGTON — As Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders settles into his new role as chairman of the Senate committee that oversees health and labor issues, he says some corporations “should be nervous.” And the longtime liberal crusader’s first target is Howard Schultz, the interim CEO of Starbucks who has aggressively fought his workers’ efforts to unionize.
Sanders and the 10 other Democrats on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee sent a letter to Schultz on Tuesday demanding he testify at a March 9 hearing on his company’s compliance with federal labor laws. If Schultz ignores or refuses the request, Sanders said, he’s willing to use the committee’s subpoena power to force him to appear.
“This is corporate greed,” said Sanders, 81, who has run for president twice and spent a political lifetime fighting corporations and monied interests over policies that he said hurt the working class. “Workers have a constitutional right to organize. And even if you are a large, multinational corporation owned by a billionaire you don’t have the right to violate the law. And we intend to be asking Mr. Schultz some very hard questions.”
Starbucks spokesman Andrew Trull said the company is reviewing the letter and “we will continue our ongoing dialogue with key stakeholders, including the chairman’s office to offer clarifying information in reference to these issues.” He did not say whether Schultz will appear.
Sanders’ demand for testimony from Schultz is an opening act in his new role as chairman of the HELP panel, which has expansive jurisdiction over issues that have been central to his more than four decades in public service. And thanks to Democrats adding a seat to their majority in last year’s election, Sanders can fully exercise the oversight powers of the gavel and potentially issue subpoenas without Republican support.
Sanders said he’s not done challenging individual corporations, mentioning Amazon as another company he believes has acted illegally against unions. And “if you are a multinational pharmaceutical company that’s been ripping off the American people and charging us outrageously high prices, you should be nervous, because I’m going to hold you accountable,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday. “I’m going to do something about it.”
Sanders said he has “two roles”— one as chairman, with a more realistic focus on results, and another promoting his signature issues like “Medicare for All,” tuition-free college and paid child care He said he plans to take his “show on the road,” doing a series of town halls, roundtables and field hearings around the country. Next week, he’ll hold a town hall inside the Capitol, bringing teachers unions together to discuss teacher pay.