LOWER NAZARETH TWP, Pa. — Workers at the Starbucks store at Northampton Crossings are the latest to join a strike timed to Pride month, alleging unfair labor practices and disputes with the company over LGBTQ+ displays in stores.
- Workers at the Starbucks store at Northampton Crossings held a 24-hour strike
- A picket lined was planned from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday outside the store — but was moved to a nearby stretch of land off the highway, after the strikers were removed from Starbucks property
- The strike is timed to Pride month and comes after 21 stores across the country closed over the weekend
Starbucks Workers United said workers at 3712 Nazareth Road are holding a 24-hour “Unfair Labor Practice Strike with Pride.”
The picket line was planned from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday outside the store — but was moved to the patch of grass between the nearby McDonald's and the highway, after the striking workers were kicked off Starbucks' property.
The striking workers say they were asked three times to leave, then the police came to help the store manager, as well as the landlord, enforce their removal.
Starbucks spokesman Andrew Trull confirmed the workers were asked to leave the premise, but said that was not an effort to shut down the strike action.
Trull initially said the removal was due to safety, then elaborated, "I would not consider it as 'safety' in the sense that our customers are in a way threatened by protesters."
"As is customary, though, Starbucks was able to maintain operations with other partners who chose not to participate in those strike activities to ensure that customers could enter and exit the store without any issues."
Strike closes stores
Trull said the decision to have the workers removed had nothing to do with the optics of having customers see.
"We were no way trying to prohibit our partners and others from participating in protected activities, which includes their right to protest and to strike as just that against ornate, open and operational," Trull said.
"And so we wanted our customers to be able to access the store safely without any issues with egress or ingress."
"They are tokenizing workers for good press and higher profits."Starbucks Workers United, in a statement against the company
The strike closed 21 stores nationwide over the weekend and is to continue this week. It’s expected to disrupt operations at more than 150 stores nationwide, the Associated Press reported.
In a news release late Tuesday, the union said workers are demanding Starbucks meet at the bargaining table to negotiate a fair contract. Workers also are calling on the company to end what it says are attacks on LGBTQIA+ workers.
“Starbucks claims to be a company that cares about its LGBTQIA+ workers," the release said. "Yet in reality, they are tokenizing workers for good press and higher profits.
“Workers are fighting back against Starbucks’ performative allyship and demanding the company respect their rights by negotiating in good faith at the bargaining table.”
The back story
The dispute stems from reports that some Starbucks stores banned Pride displays this year. The union also said Starbucks officials are threatening workers’ access to health benefits.
The striking workers in Lower Nazareth made clear that their specific store did not ban pride decorations — which they say is thanks to their manager, who is "really good."
Starbucks maintains that when stores do choose not to display pride decorations, it is an individual store's decision, not a corporate one.
"Starbucks will continue to be a place where our partners, customers, and communities are seen, heard, and valued."Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan, in a letter posted to the company's website
In a letter posted Friday on Starbucks’ website, company Chief Executive Officer Laxman Narasimhan said the Pride flag was flying over the company’s Seattle headquarters and at thousands of stores around the country.
“Raising the Pride flag continues to be one of our proudest traditions,” the letter said. "We continue to encourage our store leaders to celebrate with their communities including for U.S. Pride month in June, as we always have.”
The letter also highlighted the company’s “inclusive health benefits,” such as family expansion reimbursement for adoption and surrogacy, and expanded health insurance for transgender partners, along with medical reimbursement when partners are legally unable to access gender affirming care.
“Starbucks will continue to be a place where our partners, customers, and communities are seen, heard, and valued," the letter said. "This is our work, this is our promise, and this is our purpose."
Starbucks responds to Nazareth-area strike
In an email to LehighValleyNews.com, Starbucks highlighted similar points — including images of the pride flag flying on one of its buildings.
In a follow-up phone call, Trull, the Starbucks spokesman, conceded that individual stores have a certain amount of discretion when it comes to decorations.
"I personally feel that — I love Starbucks... I feel that it just needs to change. There's a definite room for change."Rhea Pitt, Starbucks shift supervisor in Nazareth.
He said the several stores refusing to decorate for pride was the "exception, not the rule."
Trull also accused the striking workers of spreading misinformation.
"Claims made by Workers United are false," he said. "Starbucks has not pulled any Pride merchandise from our stores and have not altered our corporate policies or approach to celebrating Pride Month."
On Monday, the company shared photos of its workers celebrating Pride Month at parades, in their stores and at other community events.
Strikers' perspective
Near the Lower Nazareth Starbucks, Rhea Pitt, a shift supervisor at that store, led the picket line on Wednesday.
"I personally feel that — I love Starbucks," Pitt said. "I love making coffee. I love connecting with people, I love the people that I work with very, very much.
"It's a shame that they don't want to acknowledge their workers because we make their money. We make all of their profits — record-breaking profits every single year. And they choose to ignore us, they choose to fire us unlawfully for things that have been you know, maybe picked and chosen here or there, but Starbucks has the potential to be a good company. I feel that it just needs to change.
"There's a definite room for change."
