Coffee chain Starbucks Corp. on Tuesday denied allegations from its unionized employees that it had banned or prohibited Pride-themed decorations in stores across at least 21 states, saying it “unwaveringly” supported LGBTQ+ people.
The allegations came earlier in the day from the union representing those workers, Starbucks Workers United, which tweeted that Starbucks workers over the past two weeks had reported on social media that “the company is no longer allowing Pride decorations in-store.”
The account that Starbucks
SBUX,
was backing away from its Pride support was cheered online by some conservatives, who have led calls for anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ boycotts against brands or retailers like Bud Light, Target Corp.
TGT,
and Kohl’s Corp.
KSS,
Starbucks said it was looking into the alleged incidents described by the union, but said any potential decision to remove decorations was not at the direction of company higher-ups, or a response to union organizing efforts or pressures against other companies facing a boycott campaign. And it said it was unaware of any company-run store that had directly banned Pride-themed decorations.
“There has been no change to any policy on this matter and we continue to encourage our store leaders to celebrate with their communities including for U.S. Pride month in June,” Starbucks said in a statement.
“We’re deeply concerned by false information that is being spread especially as it relates to our inclusive store environments, our company culture, and the benefits we offer our partners,” the company continued.
Starbucks Workers United, in the thread on Twitter, accused Starbucks of bowing to anti-LGBTQ+ pressure, saying that “corporate and district management are taking down the Pride decorations that have become an annual tradition in stores.”
“In union stores, where Starbucks claims they are unable to make ‘unilateral changes’ without bargaining, the company took down Pride decorations and flags anyway — ignoring their own anti-union talking point,” the union said.
In an email to MarketWatch, the union said that in Oklahoma, some workers were told the decision on the decorations was “a safety reason in light of the attacks that happened at Target stores and that it was a safety concern to block windows with flags.” In Georgia, the union said, it was a different type of safety issue to have workers on ladders.
In Massachusetts, workers were told there weren’t enough “labor hours” to schedule partners to decorate. And in Maryland, they said, “workers were told that some didn’t feel represented by the ‘umbrella of pride’ and stores needed to maintain ‘consistency’ regarding pride decorations.”
On an Instagram story, the union said: “Starbucks is denying any change to Pride this year — but with stories claiming the contrary all over Twitter, TikTok, and Reddit, how can the company pretend nothing is happening?”
Shares of Starbucks were largely unchanged after hours. The stock is up 37% over the past 12 months.
This post was originally published on Market Watch
