A US judge has ruled that Starbucks must provide the federal government with documents detailing how much the company spent on efforts to discuss unionising with its workers. The ruling comes as part of the Department of Labor’s probe into whether the coffee giant violated financial disclosure laws.

Announced on Friday, the decision requires Starbucks to document travel expenses it paid to send former CEO Howard Schultz, along with other company officers, to New York in 2021 after workers in a Buffalo store filed a petition to hold a union election.