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The union representing workers at Starbucks Corp. on Wednesday stepped up its accusations from a day earlier that the coffee chain was prohibiting Pride-themed decorations at U.S. stores, saying it had documented “dozens” of instances of employees being ordered to take down flags and other accessories.
In a memo to employees sent Tuesday evening, Starbucks
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said the union’s accusations were “simply not true,” but said it would offer more guidance for store displays in the coming months. The company earlier that day said it had not changed its policy on Pride month and that it “unwaveringly” supported LGBTQ+ people.
“There has been no change to any guidance on this matter,” Mark Brown, the chain’s senior vice president of talent and inclusion, said in the memo. “Our retail leaders continue to work with store teams to find ways to authentically celebrate year-round with their communities. This includes how stores decorate for heritage months, including U.S. Pride month in June — keeping in our mind our safety standards, Siren’s Eye guidance, and retail dress code.”
He added later in the memo: “We will have more clarity for local leaders on in-store displays in the months ahead.”
The union, Starbucks Workers United, said the alleged bans on Pride decorations — details of which it shared in a thread on Twitter on Tuesday — were an effort to stamp out efforts to organize. Starbucks has denied that claim.
Dozens of Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since late 2021, but talks over a contract have been slow. The union has accused the company of delay tactics, while Starbucks has accused the union of failing to adhere to negotiation terms. But frequent allegations of union-busting against the coffee chain have led to deeper scrutiny from lawmakers and threatened the company’s progressive image.
The union on Wednesday said workers in several states had been given different excuses for the restrictions on decorations — from safety in the wake of anger directed at Target Corp.
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workers over that company’s Pride-themed displays, to aesthetic consistency, to insufficient time or availability to decorate.
“Starbucks making us take down our pride flag feels like a blatant and tone-deaf act of disrespect and harm toward me, my coworkers, and the LGBTQIA+ community,” Meghin Martin, a Starbucks employee in Richmond, Va., said in a statement from the union.
“When corporate ordered our pride flag to be ripped down this year, Starbucks showed their true colors,” a Starbucks worker in Columbus, Ohio, identified as Shenby G. said in that statement.
Shares of Starbucks were up 0.8% on Wednesday. The stock is up 38.2% over the past 12 months.
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