KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Union workers at a Starbucks located near Northshore Drive and Pellissippi Parkway joined a national strike organized through Starbucks Workers United.
The strike, named "Strike with Pride," was organized to advocate for LGBTQ+ workers. According to the union, the strike would go from June 23 until June 30, and during the strike, workers would demand a new contract with union stores. Organizers of the strike also said they are asking for the company to stop its "illegal union-busting campaign, which has a significant impact on Starbucks' LGBTQIA+ workforce."
"Starbucks has long-time been an LGBTQIA+ community ally, is what they claim. They're selling Pride merchandise in the store, so they're profiting off of Pride. However since we unionized at this location and the three others here in Knoxville, we're no longer allowed to have rainbow or Pride decorations in our lobbies — in a Starbucks. It is really a stark contrast of who they've portrayed themselves to be in society," said Maggie Carter, a worker who joined the strike.
According to reports, around 150 locations were expected to join the strike during the week and the union said the strike started over decorations in some stores for Pride Month.
In a statement to WBIR, the company said that they did not ban any Pride displays and that there was no change to any policy on Pride displays or how the company approaches celebrating Pride Month. Starbucks also said that it continues its support for LGBTQ+ causes.
In late March, a Starbucks store located near Northshore Drive and Pellissippi Parkway decided to join the Starbucks Workers United Union. Workers there decided to join the strike, and they said the company was not allowing Pride Month decorations inside the store.
The location closed for the day on Wednesday, and workers said they were disappointed with the company. They also said they had no issues in the past year with hanging up Pride Month decorations.
It is one of four locations in the Knoxville area that have joined the union.
In a statement, Starbucks said it plans to "issue clearer centralized guidelines" for in-store decorations and displays that "will continue to represent inclusivity and our brand."