Employees at the roughly 150 unionized Starbucks locations across the US are going on strike Friday in protest of the company’s alleged decision to prohibit Pride decorations in certain stores.
Starbucks Workers United, the union representing the stores, said that Starbucks restricted Pride month decorations at certain locations, showing a “hypocritical treatment of LGBTQIA+ workers.”
Now, some 3,500 workers plan to strike next week, according to a tweet from the union.
Starbucks has denied the claim that its restricted Pride decorations, claiming instead that Pride and other heritage month decorations are permitted as long as they’re compliant with safety guidelines.
“We unwaveringly support the LGBTQIA2+ community. There has been no change to any policy on this matter and we continue to encourage our store leaders to celebrate with their communities including for US Pride month in June,” a Starbucks spokesperson said. “We’re deeply concerned by false information that is being spread.”
However, Starbucks Workers United claimed earlier this week that about 100 stores in 21 states had seen Pride decorations removed.
Employees at a store in Massachusetts were told they couldn’t decorate because there weren’t enough “labor hours” to decorate and run the store, the union claimed, as first reported by The New Republic.
In Georgia, employees were told there was a safety issue with using a ladder to hang a Pride flag, and in Oklahoma, employees were told it was unsafe to put up decorations due to recent backlash against Pride displays at other stores like Target.
A worker at a non-unionized Virginia store started a petition on Coworker.org, a labor organizing website, claiming that managers told workers they could not put up Pride decorations this year.
Starbucks gives autonomy to local leaders to "find ways to celebrate." These leaders are the same ones issuing many of the Pride bans.
More Perfect Union reports that higher-ups banned decorations in more than 100 stores across three states. ????3/4https://t.co/CyIlmoNXWb
— Starbucks Workers United (@SBWorkersUnited) June 21, 2023
Shares of Starbucks slumped nearly 2% to $99 before the opening bell Friday.
Contact Andrew Kessel at andrew.kessel@proactiveinvestors.com
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