Starbucks Denies Union Claims Of Banning Pride Displays: Fortune

Amidst allegations from union organizers that it is banning Pride displays in its U.S. stores, Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) has denied any such claims. The accusations come in the wake of other brands like Target Corp. (NYSE:TGT) experiencing backlash over similar issues, Fortune reports.

Union Allegations: Starbucks Workers United, the union organizing U.S. Starbucks stores, asserts that store managers have been curtailing or removing Pride displays during the month-long celebration of LGBTQ+ people. Some managers reportedly cited safety concerns, referencing incidents at Target where customers tipped over merchandise and confronted workers.

Starbucks’ Stance: Starbucks, however, maintains that there has been no change in policy and continues to encourage store leaders to celebrate with their communities, including for U.S. Pride month. The company has a long history of supporting LGBTQ+ employees, extending full health benefits to same-sex partners in 1988 and adding health coverage for gender reassignment surgery in 2013.

Unionization Efforts: Over 300 Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since 2021, a move that Starbucks opposes. Union organizer Ian Miller alleges a change in the company’s tone this year, citing his own experience of needing prior approval to put up Pride decorations.

Hi, I am the Benzinga Newsbot!
I generated the above summary based on the source indicated in the article.

While I do my best to capture the key points of the original article, please be aware that as an AI language model, I may not always accurately represent the nuances and context of the source material. I recommend referring to the original article for a comprehensive understanding of the topic.