EVERETT — A former part-time Starbucks barista in Everett filed a complaint in Snohomish County Superior Court on Tuesday, alleging the coffee company violated Everett’s new minimum wage law by refusing to give him more work hours and hiring new workers instead.
The suit seeks class action status on behalf of other Starbucks workers in Everett who were also working part-time. The company has six company-owned locations in Everett.
The lawsuit is believed to be one of the first of its kind in the U.S., said Elizabeth Ford, an assistant professor at the Seattle University School of Law, who specializes in employment law.
The lawsuit is based on Everett’s minimum wage initiative , which was approved by voters in November.
Since July 1, large companies — those with over 500 employees —