Thousands of Starbucks workers are set to go on strike over the next week amid a dispute with the coffee giant over LGBTQ store displays during Pride month.
Starbucks Workers United, the group that campaigns for the unionization of Starbucks workers, tweeted Friday that more than 150 stores and 3,500 workers “will go on strike over the next week” over the company’s “treatment of queer and transgender workers.” “.
Workers at Starbucks’ flagship store, the Seattle Roastery, went on strike Friday, and dozens demonstrated outside.
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Earlier this month, the collective accused Starbucks of banning Pride Month displays in some of its stores.
“In union stores where Starbucks claims it is unable to make ‘unilateral changes’ without negotiation, the company has removed Pride decorations and flags anyway – ignoring their own anti-union talking point,” the group said tweeted on June 13th.
In a statement to CBS News on Friday, a Starbucks spokesman vehemently denied the allegations, saying, “Workers United continues to disseminate false information about our performance, policies and negotiation efforts, a tactic designed to appear to divide our partners and theirs Failure to distract.” Respond to negotiation rounds for more than 200 deals.”
In a letter sent to Workers United last week, May Jensen, Starbucks vice president of partner resources, expressed the company’s “unwavering support” for “the LGBTQIA2+ community,” adding that “there are no changes to the company policies on this matter.” We continue to empower retail leaders to celebrate with their communities, including for US Pride month in June.”
Since workers at a Starbucks store in Buffalo, New York, were the first to vote to form a union in late 2021, Starbucks has been accused of illegal attempts to thwart such efforts nationwide. So far, at least 330 Starbucks stores have voted to form a union, according to Workers United, but none have signed a contract with the company.
According to the National Labor Relations Board, judges have ruled that Starbucks has repeatedly violated labor laws, including by firing pro-union workers, interrogating them and threatening welfare payments if workers organized.
In March, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz also denied the allegations when asked during a Senate public hearing.
“These are allegations,” Schultz said at the time. “That will prove untrue.”
— Irina Ivanova and Caitlin O’Kane contributed to this report.
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