Starbucks Shutters Seven Stores in Crime-Ridden Parts of San Francisco

Starbucks plans to close seven stores located in downtown San Francisco in October, a spokesperson for the company confirmed.

The corporation looked into “several factors” when it decided to close the seven locations, and added that it would continue to invest in San Francisco through its 40 other company-owned locations in the city, a Starbucks spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Although the company declined to comment on whether crime was a factor that led to its decision, all seven of the closing locations — Mission & Main, Geary & Taylor, 425 Battery, 398 Market St, 4th & Market, 555 California and Bush & Van Ness — are situated in or near the city’s troubledTenderloin district, a Starbucks store map showed.

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White Former Starbucks Manager Wins $25 Million Suit After Being Fired over Arrest of Black Men

On Monday, a federal jury awarded a White former Starbucks manager with $25 million after she successfully convinced them that she had been fired by the coffee chain due to her race.

As the New York Post reports, Shannon Phillips previously oversaw several locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as a regional manager who had been with the company for 13 years. Her lawsuit stems from a 2018 incident in which two black men attempted to use the restroom of a Philadelphia Starbucks, and were denied due to not being paying customers. When the men subsequently refused to leave, the police were called and the men were arrested and forced off the property.

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Pennsylvania Committee Considers Socialist’s Forced Unionism Amendment

On Tuesday, Pennsylvania’s new state House Democratic majority began considering a measure to enshrine forced unionism in the state Constitution. 

The House of Representatives Labor and Industry Committee took testimony on legislation identical to an Illinois constitutional amendment that Prairie State voters narrowly approved last November. Proposed by Representative Elizabeth Fiedler (D-Philadelphia), the Pennsylvania amendment would forbid lawmakers to enact a right-to-work law banning contracts that demand union-dues payments even from nonmembers. 

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Corporations Stay Quiet on Abortion After Disney’s Disastrous Tangle with DeSantis

Ron DeSantis

Corporations previously outspoken about hot-button social issues have stayed quiet on the likely overturning of Roe v. Wade after a dramatic fight between Disney and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis over the company’s political activism.

Following the leak of a draft opinion indicating the Supreme Court is likely to overturn Roe v. Wade, Democrats are trying to ram through a bill legalizing third trimester abortions; however, corporations are largely staying out of the fray, following Disney’s disastrous battle with Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that ended with the company losing its special tax privileges.

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‘Solidarity Fund’ Created for Ohio Starbucks Employees as They Attempt to Unionize in Columbus

A “solidarity fund” has been created for Starbucks employees at a Columbus store as they attempt to join coworkers nationwide in unionizing, a process they say is being opposed by the coffee giant. 

“In Columbus, OH, a courageous and amazing group of Starbucks workers have come together at the 88 E. Broad St. store to form their Union with Starbucks Workers United! They are fighting for better wages, safe working conditions, and a voice at their worksite,” says a GoFundMe page organized by former Columbus mayoral candidate Liliana Baiman. 

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Ohio Senate Hopeful Supports First Ohio Starbucks Unionization Effort

A Democrat U.S. Senate hopeful from Ohio declared his support for a Cleveland Starbucks store, which aims to become the retail giant’s first unionized coffee shop in the state. 

“Something big is brewing in Cleveland. Congratulations and solidarity to the workers taking this critical step to get the fair treatment and respect you deserve,” Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-17).

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Starbucks Announces Wage Hikes Amidst Labor Struggles

Outside view of Starbucks Coffee

Seattle-based Starbucks announced it will increase hourly wages next year as the coffee giant faces the dual pressures of unionization attempts and staffing shortages.

According to a press release from the company, starting in January of 2022, hourly employees with two or more years of service could see a 5% raise and those with five or more years of service could see a 10% raise.

By the summer of next year, the company says its average hourly pay will be $17, up from the current average of $14. Employees will make between $15 and $23 an hour across the country, depending on location and tenure.

The press release did not address what impact the moves will have on coffee prices.

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Rioters Vandalize Original Starbucks in Seattle

Demonstrators who marched through Downtown Seattle Wednesday night, vandalized the storefront of the original Starbucks store as they made their way through Pike Place Market, the police department said.

Video showed several people clad in black, some carrying umbrellas, running up and smashing windows around 7:15 p.m. as part of an hours-long demonstration against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, President Joe Biden and law enforcement.

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Starbucks Creates Own Black Lives Matter Shirt for Employees

Starbucks is creating its own Black Lives Matter shirt for employees to wear if they choose. The move comes after the coffee chain reportedly banned employees from wearing Black Lives Matter gear.

The T-shirt depicts protest signs with phrases including “Black Lives Matter,” “Speak Up” and “Time for Change.” One sign shows a raised black fist. “It’s not a moment, it’s a movement,” the shirt reads.

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Starbucks Apologizes After Police Were Kicked Out of Store Because Their Presence Made Customer Uncomfortable

by Audrey Conklin   Starbucks apologized Sunday after six police were kicked out of a Tempe, Arizona, franchise because their presence made a customer “uncomfortable.” “On behalf of Starbucks, I want to sincerely apologize to you all for the experience that six of your officers had in our store on July 4,” Starbucks Executive Vice President Rossann Williams wrote in an official statement Sunday. “When those officers entered the store and a customer raised a concern over their presence, they should have been welcomed and treated with dignity and the utmost respect by our partners (employees),” the statement continues. “Instead, they were made to feel unwelcome and disrespected, which is completely unacceptable.” The company’s apology comes after the customer in question — a white man — became “anxious, nervous or uncomfortable” upon seeing the officers and asked a barista several times what they were doing in the cafe, The New York Times reported. “The barista said, ‘These guys come here all the time,’” Starbucks spokesman Reggie Borges told The NYT Sunday. “The barista repeatedly said, ‘They come here all the time. There is nothing wrong.’” But the barista eventually asked the officers to “move out of the customer’s line of sight or to…

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A Possible Independent Presidential Run by Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Is Leaving Democrats on Edge

Howard Schultz

by Jason Hopkins   Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz’s open consideration of an independent, third-party bid for the White House has numerous Democratic political operatives and candidates sounding the alarm. “I have a concern that if he did run, that essentially, it would provide [President] Donald Trump with his best hope of getting re-elected,” Julian Castro — a former Housing and Urban Development secretary under the Obama administration and a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate himself — said Sunday when asked by CNN about Schultz’s possible run. “I would suggest to Mr. Schultz to truly think about the negative impact that that might make.” The Texas Democrat is far from the only one to allege that a third-party bid from Schultz would ultimately split progressive and moderate voters, paving the way for Trump to secure a second term. “.@HowardSchultz running for POTUS as an independent would put the froth on @realDonaldTrump’s Cinnamon Dolce Latte, splitting the opposition and making Trump’s low ceiling potentially high enough,” David Axelrod, former President Barack Obama’s campaign manager, tweeted on Jan. 21. .@HowardSchultz running for POTUS as an independent would put the froth on @realDonaldTrump ‘s Cinnamon Dolce Latte, splitting the opposition and making Trump’s low ceiling potentially high enough.https://t.co/O6HsJAL8sP — David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod)…

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Starbucks Executive Chairman Howard Schultz Announces Retirement

Howard Schultz

Starbucks Corp, the world’s biggest coffee chain, said on Monday Executive Chairman Howard Schultz is stepping down, effective June 26, where he will assume the title of ‘chairman emeritus.’ Schultz, who joined Starbucks in 1981, is credited with turning the company into a popular household name and growing it from 11 stores to more than 28,000 in 77 countries. “I set out to build a company that my father, a blue-collar worker and World War II veteran, never had a chance to work for,” Schultz wrote in a statement to past and present Starbucks partners (workers). “Together we’ve done that, and so much more, by balancing profitability and social conscience, compassion and rigor, and love and responsibility.” Last year, Schultz stepped down as chief executive officer to become executive chairman, handing the top job to Kevin Johnson. “There are no words to fully express our gratitude to Howard for the extraordinary company he has built,” Johnson said in a statement about Schultz’s departure. “He’s helped Starbucks earn the respect of millions around the world by always being true to a higher calling, and always being bold in creating a better future. He’s taught all of us that it’s possible to be a very different kind…

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