Andrea Hsu

Andrea Hsu, NPR News.

Employees at 19 Starbucks stores filed petitions for union elections this month.

They seek to join the more than 560 unionized stores across the country.

But four years after the first union election win, baristas have yet to finalize a contract with Starbucks.

Each side blames the other for not negotiating in good faith.

Since mid-November, thousands of baristas have gone on strike, calling for increased hours and higher wages.

Starbucks says its pay and benefits package is the best in retail, citing its health care plan, tuition reimbursement, and paid family leave.

The company also points out that less than 4% of its employees work at unionized stores.

Andrea Hsu, NPR News.

Thank you so much.

But it's unclear where the complaint will go.

Earlier this year, President Trump fired the special counsel, who leads the agency that enforces the Hatch Act, and replaced him with one of his cabinet members.

And in a press release, the Office of Special Counsel said 2025 has been one of the most productive and impactful years in its history.

Andrea Hsu, NPR News.

I think we are in a battle of narrative.

I think that if you look at the facts and if you look at the impact of the actions of this administration, this is a horror show.

This year, the Trump administration shuttered offices, fired tens of thousands of people and paid far more to quit.

President Trump says he's ridding the country of waste, fraud and abuse.

But Max Steyer, president of the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, says Trump is turning the government into one that serves the private interests of those in power, not the public good.

In a statement, the White House told NPR Trump's only motivation is, quote, improving the lives of the American people and making the country greater than ever before.