Starbucks workers protest before annual shareholder meeting

Starbucks workers and their supporters rallied outside the company’s Seattle headquarters Wednesday to protest what they describe as union-busting efforts by executives. Organizers said employees also walked off the job at more than 100 stores across the country. The company disputed the breadth of the protests, saying that nearly every store remained open for business, though it did not immediately indicate how many had closed amid the strikes. The demonstrations came on the eve of the company’s annual shareholders meeting. Organizers said they were designed to urge new Starbucks Chief Executive Laxman Narasimhan to take a more welcoming approach to unionization efforts and workers rights.