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Starbucks Corp. plans to issue “clearer centralized guidelines” for in-store visual displays and decorations following a union’s allegations that managers banned Pride-themed decor, which the company disputes.
“We have heard from our partners that you want to be creative in how our stores are represented and that you see visual creativity in stores as part of who we are and our culture,” North America President Sara Trilling said Monday in a memo to employees seen by Bloomberg News. “Equally, we have also heard through our partner channels that there is a need for clarity and consistency on current guidelines around visual displays and decorations.”
Starbucks on Monday also filed complaints against the union with the National Labor Relations Board. In an emailed statement, Workers United said that it is confident the complaints will be dismissed.
The Seattle-based coffee giant has said that store leaders can decorate stores for heritage months such as Pride in line with safety standards. In the memo, Trilling said the company would continue to provide flexibility so “stores reflect the communities they serve.”
Workers United alleged in mid-June that store employees in states across the US were told Pride decorations weren’t allowed. On Friday, baristas at several unionized locations kicked off a 150-store “Strike With Pride” protesting the company’s “illegal union-busting campaign” while speaking against “Starbucks’ treatment of LGBTQIA+ workers,” according to a statement from the union. The company denies illegal anti-union activity.
Managers at various stores have said there weren’t enough “labor hours” for decorating, that Pride decorations raised safety concerns, or that some people didn’t feel represented by “the umbrella of pride,” according to the labor group.
Starbucks has denied changing its policies about the decorations, with Chief Executive Officer Laxman Narasimhan and Trilling saying in a statement last week that the company “has been and will continue to be at the forefront of supporting the LGBTQIA2+ community.”
“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,” the executives said, according to the statement. “We continue to encourage our store leaders to celebrate with their communities including for US Pride month in June, as we always have.”
The Pride controversy has brought uncomfortable attention to the company, which for decades has worked to cultivate a progressive and inclusive brand. The union has frequently turned to tactics like coordinated walkouts and high-profile issues like LGBTQ rights as it tries to heighten public pressure on the company to curb alleged anti-union tactics and make concessions in contract talks.
Company Complaints
In the complaints filed with the NLRB in Los Angeles, the company alleges that the union “engaged in a smear campaign that includes deliberate misrepresentations” about Starbucks’ benefits for LGBTQ workers and its Pride displays, and in doing so illegally coerced employees and violated its duty to fairly negotiate with the company.
Such claims are considered by NLRB regional directors. If they find merit in the claims, they can prosecute them before agency judges, whose rulings can then be appealed.
In its statement, the union referred to the complaints as a “public relations stunt.”
“While attacking the union that represents its own workers, Starbucks has now changed its policies in response to worker actions,” the union said in a statement. “If Starbucks truly wants to be an ally to the LGBTQIA+ community, they will actually listen to their queer workers by coming to the bargaining table to negotiate in good faith.”
The clash over Pride decorations is the latest between the company and the union, which has organized around 300 of Starbucks’ roughly 9,000 corporate-run US cafes since late 2021. National Labor Relations Board regional directors around the country have issued over 90 complaints accusing the company of illegal anti-union tactics, including refusing to negotiate fairly with the union, while judges and NLRB members have ordered reinstatement of 23 terminated activists.
Starbucks, in turn, has said that the union has failed to respond to bargaining sessions for more than 200 stores. The NLRB has dismissed previous complaints by the company accusing the union of failure to bargain.
