Friday, Jun. 16, 2023
Were downtown Madison Starbucks employees required to take down Pride month decor?
Starbucks district and regional managers asked employees at two branches in downtown Madison to remove decorations celebrating LGTBQ+ pride, according to an employee union and workers.
Management told workers at the Capitol Square location that the removal was designed to have more uniform decorations among stores. Employees at the State Street location were told that the decorations could offend clientele.
A national Starbucks spokesman said in statements to multiple outlets that the company had "no change to any policy" related to Pride displays and that it offered local store leaders some discretion over decor choices.
Starbucks Workers United — an organization representing union members from around the country — has drawn attention to similar incidents this year in which managers barred Pride decorations in other states including Massachusetts, Oklahoma and Virginia.
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