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Starbucks staff hold major walkout across the US and shut down stores amid fury at the company banning them from hoisting flags for Pride
- A group of striking Starbucks workers shut down 150 stores across the country
- The group is protesting over a stall in contract talks and issues with the company allegedly removing Pride Month decorations from stores
More than 3,500 Starbucks workers across the country have shut down 150 stores over stalled contract negotiations and the alleged removing of Pride Month décor.
In Los Angeles, a group of unionized workers protested outside their Cypress Park store while wearing rainbow clothing and holding signs.
‘Starbucks has taken down Pride flags in most stores and I feel a bit lied to as a place that wants you to express yourself and it encourages inclusivity,’ said one employee.
The employee, who identified herself as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, said she sees the removal of the décor as a betrayal of the company’s values.
‘It just shows that Starbucks doesn’t really have my back, or my community’s back.’
More than 3,500 Starbucks workers across the country shut down 150 stores over stalled contract negotiations and the alleged removing of Pride Month décor
‘Starbucks has taken down Pride flags in most stores and I feel a bit lied to as a place that wants you to express yourself and it encourages inclusivity,’ said one employee
Last week, Starbucks Workers United alleged that the company was not allowing employees to put up pride decorations in some stores.
Starbucks has denied that employees’ claims that they are scaling back their support for the LGBT+ community.
‘We want to be crystal clear – Starbucks has been and will continue to be at the forefront of supporting the LGBTQIA2+ community,’ said Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan and Executive VP and President for North America Sara Trilling said.
‘We will not waver in that commitment!’ the pair added.
The company officials also said they have not revised their guidelines for decorations within stores and that they encourage Pride Month celebrations.
‘Despite today’s public commentary, there has been no change to any of our policies as it relates to our inclusive store environments, our company culture and the benefits we offer our partners,’ Narasimhan and Trilling said.
‘We continue to encourage our store leaders to celebrate with their communities including for U.S. Pride month in June, as we always have,’ they added.
Workers United has alleged that stores in at least 22 states have been discouraged from decorating for the celebrations focused on the LGBTQ+ community.
The union has since filed an unfair labor practice charge against the company.
Pictured: A group of unionized workers protested outside their Cypress Park store while wearing rainbow clothing and holding signs
Employees protest outside the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle on June 23
Protesters hold Pride Month signs while striking outside a Starbucks in Chicago on June 24
‘The company refuses to sit and bargain in good faith over our contract,’ said one employee
The Pride Month argument comes as another employee told KTLA that the other major reason for the strike is the lack of contract negotiations for unionized workers.
‘We’ve been unionized for a year at our store and we’ve yet to have a contract negotiated,’ said one protester.
‘The company refuses to sit and bargain in good faith over our contract,’ she said.
The strikes began on Friday in Seattle – the birthplace of the caffeine giant.
In a statement, Starbucks denied wrongdoing and blamed the union for the employees for the strike.
‘Workers United continues to spread false information about our benefits, policies and negotiation efforts – a tactic used to seemingly divide our partners and deflect from their failure to respond to bargaining sessions for more than 200 stores,’ the statement sent to DailyMail.com reads.
The Workers United union however claims that the company is also not being forthcoming and that they are not negotiating in good faith.
‘Good faith bargaining looks like both sides providing proposals and trying to meet in the middle — Starbucks is not willing to do that,’ Workers United hit back.
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