More than 3,500 Starbucks employees and 150 stores pledged to go on strike near the end of June. The reason? Decor.
Many Starbucks employees decided to participate in a week-long strike organized by Starbucks Workers United, to protest Starbucks’ limitation of Pride decorations in stores. Starbucks Workers United is a union that represents about 8,000 of 402,000 Starbucks workers. The union disclosed that, in 21 states, employees reported that they were not allowed to decorate the store with Pride decorations - even though they were permitted to do so in previous years. Local managers backed up their decisions with varying reasons, from safety concerns to lack of time. Many employees of Starbucks Workers United were dissatisfied with manager responses to Pride decorations and believed that said managers were doing so due to the possibility of backlash from conservative customers. However, Starbucks denied that the company had played a part in managers’ decisions to limit or ban Pride decorations in Starbucks stores. They claimed that store managers have the autonomy to decide how to celebrate Pride in their stores, and that Starbucks as a whole did not ban Pride decorations from being put up in stores. Furthermore, they stated that they do not have any policies against such decorations and that Pride merchandise is even sold in their stores. Starbucks representatives, such as the Starbucks President and Vice President, stated that no company policies have been changed or revised to reflect a ban or limitation on Pride decorations in stores, and that the company strongly supports the LGBTQ+ community and continues to encourage Starbucks employees to celebrate Pride in the stores they work in.
The limitation of Pride decorations has added fuel to the fire for workers who want to unionize against Starbucks. Currently, at least 330 Starbucks stores have voted to unionize; however, none have reached an agreement or contract with Starbucks yet. Moreover, Starbucks has been accused of breaking labor laws and mistreating pro-union workers. Starbucks’ actions have continuously shown their opposition to unions and that not having unions better aligns with Starbucks’ company vision.
To express objection towards Starbucks’ alleged policies against Pride decorations, Starbucks Workers United organized a week-long strike near the end of June that is, according to NPR, “considered the longest and biggest strike in the union's history.” Seattle Roastery, Starbucks’ flagship location, began the nationwide strike with about 24 workers picketing outside the store. On the first day of the strike, the store was briefly open and soon closed for the day. Some Starbucks workers expressed that, while they were not personally affected by Starbucks’ alleged limitation on Pride decorations, they were participating in the strike to stand in solidarity with their fellow employees. Shortly before the strike began, The Guardian reported that Starbucks shares were down about 2% in premarket trading, which is not a significant drop. Still, Starbucks’ continued actions could lead to a further or more dramatic decline in stock prices.
A union strike against Starbucks regarding Pride decorations has further solidified the general public’s view of Starbucks and has defined Starbucks’ stance against unionized workers.
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