n October 2023, Starbucks sued its union Workers United over a pro-Palestinian message posted on the union’s social media. The union, which has organised workers in 370+ US Starbucks stores, posted this in a now deleted tweet:
Additionally, former CEO of Starbucks Howard Schultz is a staunch Zionist who still has strong ties to the corporation — including as its “fifth-largest shareholder in mid-2024, with 21.8 million shares (1.9% of its outstanding shares) worth more than $2 billion.”
Arab News documented in this detailed piece from 2006 that Starbucks had long “been trying to damp down its pro-Israeli image..” and that “googling ‘Starbucks-Israeli settlements’ revealed a goldmine of information”.
Marley Hamil explains in this article for The Courier:
What Starbucks perceives as a political stance, I view it as a humanitarian one. The union didn’t explicitly criticize Israel or its military; rather, they expressed solidarity with Palestinian civilians enduring death, destruction and displacement.
Why should I contribute my hard-earned money to a company more concerned with its bottom line than standing up for victims of genocide?
Boycotting has become a way to stand in support of both the Palestinian Liberation Movement, and the union workers that Starbucks sought to silence, taking a stand against the morally bankrupt, spineless and detached companies that dominate America.