A federal judge on Thursday ordered the immediate reinstatement of seven Starbucks baristas in Memphis, who were fired earlier this year after speaking to a local TV station about their union campaign, the National Labor Relations Board confirmed.

The National Labor Relations Board had filed a legal motion challenging the firing, in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, and Judge Sheryl H. Lipman agreed the workers should get their jobs back.

Starbucks has seen a wave of unionization in stores across the United States and has subsequently responded by firing organizers and closing stores. The reinstatement of fired workers is a monumental win for organizing employees.

In the face of a fierce anti-union campaign led by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, the ruling marks a crucial victory for the campaign to unionize Starbucks, one of the most promising movements that labor has seen in a generation.

The efforts to unionize at Starbucks have contributed to a major increase in union election filings this year, including first-time union victories at Amazon, Trader Joe’s and Apple retail stores.

More than 220 Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since last December. Forty-seven stores have voted against unionization, according to the NLRB [National Labor Relations Board].

Meanwhile, Starbucks has fired at least 75 union leaders and unionizing baristas, according to Starbucks Workers United, creating a chilling effect for new union election filings, the union said.

The NLRB has issued more than 19 complaints against Starbucks for violating workers’ union rights, according to the agency. The agency is also investigating more than 286 unfair labor practice charges, most of which are filed against Starbucks. Many involve allegations that Starbucks illegally fired union organizers.

To read more about Starbucks and its fight against union organizers, click here.

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