Why did Starbucks file litigation against Workers United?
At Starbucks, truth and transparency are essential to fulfilling our mission, upholding our promises and living our values.
January 31, 2025 Update
Starbucks and Workers United have agreed to withdraw these respective lawsuits. We remain dedicated to protecting our brand and addressing statements inaccurately attributed to our company. We continue to work to reach agreement on a framework for single-store contracts.
We are committed to providing the best retail job, offering compensation and benefits valued at an average $30 per hour, promoting from within for 90% of leadership roles, and providing benefits such as healthcare and free four-year college education for part-time work.
December 2023
In early October, statements about the conflict in the Middle East were posted on social media using our company logo and name. As a result, these statements were mistakenly attributed to Starbucks instead of Workers United and its affiliates or representatives.
This caused confusion, resulting in threats to our partners, damage to our stores, and calls for boycott.
To address this, Starbucks took legal action to prevent the misuse of our name and logos, in an effort to better protect the safety of our partners and retail operations.
Starbucks respects everyone’s right to express their viewpoints about the conflict in the Middle East and other political and social issues. However, it is important to distinguish that we cannot permit the misuse of our name and logos, especially when it leads to confusion about who we are and what we stand for.
Related resources
Read the full legal filing: Starbucks Corporation v. Workers United