Unionized Starbucks workers in LA & around nation on strike

LOS ANGELESUnion employees at the Starbucks Coffee’s Cypress Park location at 3241 N Figueroa Street have joined union workers in approximately 200 more stores across the United States who went on strike after claims that the company banned Pride decorations in some stores.

Speaking with KTLA, one striking worker complained: “We’ve been unionized for a year at our store and we ve yet to have a contract negotiated. The company refuses to sit and bargain in good faith over our contract.”

“As a member of the LGBTQ community, I feel a bit lied to,” said another striking worker. “It just shows that Starbucks doesn’t really have my back, or my community’s back.”

The Starbucks Workers United union in a statement said that 3,500 workers will be on strike over the course of this next week, and the union is demanding that all stores be allowed to put up Pride decorations in support of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as recognize a collective bargaining (union) contract.

The company has venously denied these claims in state- ment:

Unfortunately, Workers United continues to knowingly, and recklessly, spread false information related to our inclusive culture and benefits — actions that risk marginalizing and instilling distrust among our LGBTQIA2+ partners and customers.

To be clear: There has been no change to company policies or corporate new guidance issued to store leaders regarding Pride Month celebrations. We continue to encourage our store leaders to celebrate the diversity of our partners and customers within their communities, including for Pride Month.

Our store leaders are each empowered to decorate their stores for heritage months, including Pride Month, within the framework of our established store safety guidelines.

Workers United has alleged instances in at least 22 states when workers have not been able to decorate, pointing to social media accounts where workers have documented their claims.

Starbucks corporate officers responded in a statement released on Friday:

“We want to be crystal clear – Starbucks has been and will continue to be at the forefront of supporting the LGBTQIA2+ community, and we will not waver in that commitment!” Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan and Executive Vice President and President for North America Sara Trilling said in the statement.

“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. 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. The executives said they “strongly disapprove of any person or group, seeking to use our partners’ cultural and heritage celebrations to create harm or flagrantly advance misinformation for self-interested goals.”

A spokesperson for the union however claims that Starbucks 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,” the spokesperson said.

The union told CNBC the coffee chain giant is dragging its feet on negotiating contracts.

“Despite having our non-economic proposals for over 8 months and our economic proposals for over a month now, Starbucks has failed to tentatively agree to a single line of a single proposal or provide a single counter proposal. What Starbucks is doing is not bargaining, it’s stalling.”

For its part, Starbucks maintains Workers United has responded to only a quarter of the more than 450 bargaining sessions Starbucks has proposed for individual stores nationally, to date, and said it is committed to progressing negotiations toward a first contract.

By BRODY LEVESQUE