Days after Starbucks union workers announced they were walking out of stores in protest of alleged restrictions and bans over Pride decorations, the company has struck back by filing unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board.
In a statement, the coffee chain accused Starbucks Workers United of making “maliciously and recklessly false statements” as part of “an unlawful smear campaign” about company policy on Pride decor and benefits related to gender-affirming care.
It’s the latest salvo in a dispute that started this month and has led to a temporary strike that began Friday at more than 150 stores, in which over 3,000 employees in at least 28 states vowed to walk out for a week.
On Monday, Starbucks’s executive vice president, Sara Trilling, announced that the company will “issue clearer centralized guidelines … for in-store visual displays and decorations that will continue to represent inclusivity and our brand.”
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The dispute began when the union accused regional-level Starbucks leaders and store managers of blocking workers from putting up Pride flags and other decorations commemorating LGBTQ rights. Starbucks Workers United filed its own complaint with NLRB on June 7, when union officials said they started hearing about orders to take down decorations celebrating Pride Month. The charge alleges that Starbucks did not bargain with the union over the issue. (Starbucks filed similar charges in May alleging...
Although on appeal the court distinguished that there was new information in the claim, the court ultimately found the new information was not material, nor was it plead with particularity. The U....