Written by: Hannah Field | News Editor
On Oct. 13, Starbucks sued Workers United — the union that organizes Starbucks employees — when the union used a logo similar to Starbucks’ to make a pro-Palestine post amidst the Israel-Hamas war.
The union counter-sued for the ability to continue operating with the same Starbucks-esque logo, also claiming defamation from Starbucks for implying the union supports terrorism and violence.
The original post was uploaded to X, formerly Twitter, on Oct. 9; it was deleted within an hour of posting. About a week later, a new statement was released from the Starbucks Workers United President, Lynne Fox. The letter to Starbucks stated, “Starbucks is seeking to exploit the ongoing tragedy in the Middle East to bolster the company’s anti-union campaign.”
Since then, Starbucks has lost more than $12 billion according to the New York Post.
The company has made multiple moves to recover not only lost money, but also their reputation. In a public statement, they expressed sympathy for both Gaza and Israel and condemned all acts of hate — yet Starbucks hasn’t expressed support for their union and hasn’t met a labor agreement with any of their unionized stores despite multiple strikes and 38 issued records of unfair labor practices — a stark contrast from the sentiments published by Starbucks’ team.
Despite the money losses, Starbucks continued to advertise “Red Cup Day” and joined forces with Stanley to release a well sought-after limited edition tumbler — which caused a massive frenzy in Targets across the country and roped in millions of dollars. Stanley, the brand behind the ultra-famous cups, reported a nearly $700 million profit jump from 2019 to 2023, partially thanks to the Starbucks-Stanley co-created cup.
Starbucks described the public response as “enthusiastic” and stated they will not be restocking — earning resellers hundreds, with secondhand pink Quenchers listed as up to $200.
Beyond that, Starbucks has unveiled new winter menu drinks, likely more ploys to keep the customers coming back — which may work if they reveal more tactics such as the Stanley cup collaboration and make the most out of their public representatives.
Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu
