By Paul Bless, VICE

Starbucks fired the 20-year-old barista and organizer just days before employees begin voting on whether to unionize.

Starbucks fired a barista and organizing committee member at a store in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Saturday after blaming her for purposely breaking a sink—just days before employees at the store begin voting on whether to unionize.

Sharon Gilman, 20, a student at nearby North Carolina State University, had worked at Starbucks since May 2020 and also trained other baristas at the store. Gilman told VICE News Sunday that she didn’t purposely break the three-compartment sink while she was washing dishes, and that she believes she was fired for being a pro-union employee who’d spoken to the press.

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