In one of the most contentious moments of a March 29 Senate hearing examining allegations that Starbucks intimidated and fired workers trying to unionize, the shadowy world of well-paid union-busters was thrust into the spotlight.

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) confronted former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz over the coffee company’s hiring of Littler Mendelson, the country’s largest employment and labor law firm devoted exclusively to representing management.

“[It’s] one of the largest and most notoriously union-busting firms in the country,” Casey said, noting that the coffee giant can write off as a business expense on its taxes the millions it pays Littler Mendelson to aid Starbucks in its anti-union efforts.

“Taxpayers are subsidizing union busting,” Casey said.

Schultz replied that the company is just adhering to tax laws passed by Congress, adding, “I take offense with you categorizing me or Starbucks as a union buster, which is not true.”

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