Why did Starbucks file litigation against Workers United?
In early October, statements about the conflict in the Middle East were posted on social media using our company logo and name, which were then mistakenly attributed to Starbucks instead of Workers United and its affiliates/representatives.
The inaccurate attribution of these statements to Starbucks created confusion, leading to threats to our partners, damage to our stores, and calls for boycott.
Starbucks took legal action to end misuse of Starbucks name and logos and to protect the safety of our partners and retail operations.
To be clear, Starbucks respects others’ right to express their own viewpoints about the conflict in the Middle East and other political and social issues. Starbucks cannot permit the misuse of Starbucks name and logos, especially when those misuses lead to mistaken attribution of others statements to Starbucks.
Related links:
Read the full legal filing here (Starbucks Corporation v. Workers United)
