June 24th 2023.
Workers at 150 unionized Starbucks locations across the United States are taking a stand and going on strike to protest the company’s policy regarding Pride decorations in their stores. According to CNN, the workers are doing this to dispute Starbuck’s systemic “hypocritical treatment of LGBTQIA+ workers.”
Starbucks has denied all allegations of any wrongdoings, but employees are showing solidarity on social media by standing with their fellow union workers who have been affected by the restrictions. The company guidelines state that store team leaders are allowed to decorate their stores any way they want, as long as it does not violate safety regulations, even in celebration of Pride.
However, some Starbucks locations are allegedly restricting this store leader’s discretion. This is what prompted the Starbucks Workers United official Twitter account to announce, “Over 150+ stores and 3,500 workers will be on strike over the course of the next week.”
Starbucks released a statement saying, “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. We’re deeply concerned by false information that is being spread.”
But the Starbucks Workers United didn’t take this lying down. They responded with a series of tweets to dispute the company’s claims, beginning with, “Starbucks claims that pride decorations haven’t been banned – but according to internal documents and store manager testimonies, their own responses have not been consistent.”
The internal memo from Starbucks to their store managers, regarding Pride decor, states that there has been no change to guidance and that the dozens of social media testimonies and videos are “misinformation.” However, the SWU pointed out that nearly 100 different stores in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas have banned Pride decorations.
Instead of simply apologizing and fixing the issue, Starbucks opted to gaslight workers, managers, AND the public. The workers going on strike this upcoming week are doing so to draw attention to the Pride decor bans and to identify it as a reflection of Starbuck’s treatment and mentality about folks who identify as LGBTQIA+. This is why the SWU believes they need a union contract – so they have clear policies IN WRITING that protect their rights and their voices in the workplace.
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