Starbucks workers go on strike after Pride Month décor clashesStarbucks workers go on strike after Pride Month décor clashes

Joanna Fantozzi

Starbucks union SBWorkers United announced that 3,000 employees at 150 stores are participating in “Strike with Pride” – one of the union’s biggest strikes to date-- starting on Friday. The strikes are taking place following allegations that baristas have been prevented from putting up Pride Month decorations in certain stores – an accusation that Starbucks has vehemently denied.  

The latest round of protests, led by the Seattle Roastery, has been inspired by the proclaimed lack of support for the LGBTQ community during the month of June, but the main objective is to continue protesting the alleged union-busting from Starbucks Corporate, and to demand fair union contract negotiations. As of last month, Starbucks and SBWorkers United have not finalized union contracts with any of the 300 unionized stores, despite repeated attempts and clashes on both sides.

According to Starbucks employees, they were told by corporate that individual Pride decorations would not be allowed moving forward. According to a letter written by a store manager to unionized baristas, “the decision was made last year on a regional level to create consistency from store to store,” as originally reported by More Perfect Union.

“Starbucks is scared of the power that their queer partners hold, and they should be,” Moe Mills, a shift supervisor at a Richmond Heights, Missouri said in statement published by SBWorkers United. “Their choice to align themselves with other corporations that have withdrawn their “support” of the queer community in the time we need it most shows that they are not the inclusive company they promote themselves to be. We’re striking with pride to show the public who Starbucks really is, and to let them know we’re not going anywhere.”

Related:Labor Board claims Starbucks is refusing to negotiate with 144 unionized cafes

Starbucks, however, has denied any claims that the company has stopped allowing Pride decorations, stating that there has been no change to store policies and managers and employees can continue to decorate their stores as they see fit within the framework of corporate policy and standards. The company has also denied previous allegations that unionized employees were being threatened with having gender-affirming healthcare taken away from them.

"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,” Starbucks said in an emailed statement. “We apologize to our customers who may experience an inconvenience at these locations and encourage customers to find any of our more than 9,000 stores open nearby using our store locator available online or through the Starbucks mobile app.”

Related:Restaurant brands launch Pride campaigns

Contact Joanna Fantozzi at [email protected]