Starbucks union says Pride weekend strikes closed 21 US stores

The union organizing Starbucks employees stated Monday {that a} strike timed to Pleasure month closed 21 shops over the weekend, together with the corporate’s flagship Reserve Roastery in Seattle.

The strike will proceed via this week and is predicted to shut or disrupt operations at greater than 150 shops, Starbucks Employees United stated. The Seattle Roastery was closed all day Friday and was open for simply 5 hours on Sunday as an alternative of its ordinary 15, the union stated.

Employees are protesting stories that some Starbucks shops banned LGBTQ+ Pleasure shows this 12 months after backlash towards corporations like Goal, the place offended clients tipped over Pleasure shows and confronted employees. The union additionally says Starbucks officers have warned employees that unionizing might threaten their well being advantages, together with gender affirming take care of transgender employees.

However Starbucks insists there was no change of company coverage round Pleasure shows or worker advantages. Starbucks prolonged full well being care to same-sex companions in 1988 and added protection for gender reassignment surgical procedure in 2013.

In a letter to staff posted Friday on Starbucks’ web site, CEO Laxman Narasimhan famous {that a} Pleasure flag is at present flying over the corporate’s Seattle headquarters, simply because it has in previous years.

“We need to be crystal clear: Starbucks has been and can proceed to be on the forefront of supporting the LGBTQIA2+ group, and we won’t waver in that dedication,” Narasimhan stated. “As such, we strongly disapprove of any particular person or group, looking for to make use of our companions’ cultural and heritage celebrations to create hurt or flagrantly advance misinformation for self-interested targets.”

At the least 319 of Starbucks’ 9,265 company-operated U.S. shops have voted to unionize since late 2021, whereas 76 shops have voted towards unionizing, in keeping with the Nationwide Labor Relations Board. Employees are looking for assured minimal hours, gender-neutral retailer bogs and security enhancements, amongst different issues.

However Starbucks does not help unionization, and the hassle has been contentious. Earlier this month, the corporate agreed to settle an NLRB criticism that it improperly blocked unionized staff from working shifts at College of Washington video games. The corporate agreed to again pay for 10 employees and likewise stated it will inform present staff within the Seattle space that it will not intrude with their proper to prepare.