Starbucks employees from approximately 150 stores across the United States are reportedly preparing to strike over a dispute related to Pride decorations.
The Starbucks Workers United Union, a major driving force behind the action, accuses the coffee company of limiting the display of Pride decorations at certain locations. Starbucks has emphatically denied the allegations, stating that it has not altered any policies pertaining to decorations.
The company, countering the claims of the union, stated, “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 further clarified that local store leaders have the liberty to decide the nature of decorations in their respective stores, provided they comply with the company’s safety and security guidelines.
In an escalating response, Starbucks Workers United made a social media call for workers to “STRIKE WITH PRIDE!” The union stated that “Over 150+ stores and 3,500 workers will be on strike over the course of the next week.” It then accused local Starbucks leaders, who were given autonomy by the company to celebrate in their own ways, of being the ones implementing Pride decoration bans, particularly in stores located in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri.
This incident occurs against a backdrop of growing pushback against corporate “green and social initiatives.” A recent Breitbart News article from June 14 suggests that executives from companies like Starbucks are starting to scale back on such initiatives. This is in line with a growing number of Americans who are resisting what they see as the imposition of transgender ideology by Fortune 500 corporations, government officials, and mainstream media.
Despite these developments, Starbucks has a longstanding history of progressive policies. A CNN report mentions that the company extended full health benefits to same-sex partners as far back as 1988, added coverage for gender reassignment surgery in 2013, and in 2015, permitted employees to use a name or nickname aligning with their gender identity or expression.
As the controversy continues to unfold, the company reiterates its claim of having no knowledge of company-owned stores banning Pride decorations.
