Last Updated on June 17, 2023, 4:33 PM | Published: June 17, 2023
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Starbucks [SBUX] stores have been banning Pride decorations, going against their largely LGBTQIA+ workers. This is policy across the country that’s been occurring since the beginning of Pride.
Starbucks Workers United released a statement about the banning of Pride-themed decorations.
Starting off, it states, “In stores across the country, [SBUX] has refused to let workers decorate for Pride and is also taking down Pride flags. This is contrary to previous years when workers were allowed, and even encouraged, to put up pride decorations without incident.”
Starbucks has been sending mixed messages about the banning of Pride in stores.
On one hand, they claim that no policy change has been made, and workers are free to decorate for Pride. On the other, managers have been giving excuses for why Pride decorations must be taken down. Everything from “safety concerns” to wanting a uniform, homogenous store have been offered as reasons.
In a Tuesday statement, Starbucks claimed, “There has been no change to any policy on this matter and we continue to encourage our store leaders to celebrate with their communities, including for U.S. Pride month in June.”
Big changes this year
Free Press spoke to Neha Cremin, barista and union member at the 36th and May store, about this situation, and she begs to differ.
“I have no idea [why Pride was banned], there hasn’t been any clear communication about that. Our store was told that [SBUX] wanted a uniform and familiar look at all of their stores, and putting up pride decorations wouldn’t fit that image”, she said.
She elaborated more, “Other stores across the nation have been given completely different reasons. Again, there has been no direct communication about this change in enforcement of policy.”
According to Cremin, workers didn’t even get the chance to put up decorations this year. It was banned from the start. Even last year, the workers at 36th and May put up a trans pride flag…until it was eventually taken down by management.
In the Starbucks Workers United press release, they listed a series of documented actions and worker outrage. This list includes:
- A viral video where managers actively took down Pride decorations in Madison, WI.
- A worker in Atlanta, GA speaking out about her experience not being able to put up Pride decorations.
- Workers in Columbus, OH caught on camera a customer returning a Starbucks drink after seeing a manager take down Pride flags.
- A video showing a manager explaining that it was a “regional decision” to create uniformity across stores.
These are just a few of a plethora of examples of documented evidence of Pride flags being taken down.
[SBUX] workers have even started a petition demanding that Pride be welcomed back in-store. It’s gained over 2,500 signatures so far.
There could be other reasons [SBUX] might be taking down Pride flags. There’s been a wave of anti-LGBTQIA+ activity and rhetoric across the country including bomb threats against pro-LGBTQIA+ corporations such as Target and Bud Light.
Asked if this year is any worse than previous years, Cremin said, “We’ve decorated our store for pride in previous years without any issues…the growing anti-trans movement and the hundreds of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills filed nationwide have been weighing on my heart this year.”
According to Oklahoma Watch, Oklahoma has filed over 40 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills this year affecting everything from schools to self-expression.
Taking action
Is there any action that the union can take to fight back against the anti-Pride policy? Cremin says yes. “There has been a ULP (unfair labor practices complaint) filed from the union against [SBUX]. The union is also running a social media campaign to raise awareness about the ban on Pride decorations”, she said.
All of this isn’t stopping the OKC workers from celebrating Pride this year. They’ve already made plans to partake in the festivities. This year, the workers at 36th and May walked in the 39th Street Pride parade with other unionized Starbucks workers and union supporters. You can also catch them at the Scissortail Park Pride parade later this month on the 25th.
Alex Gatley covers labor activities in the state of Oklahoma.
