Starbucks faces lawsuit over dress code
LOS ANGELES, Sep 18: Starbucks workers in three states have taken legal action against the coffee giant, accusing it of violating the law when it changed its dress code but refused to reimburse employees who had to buy new clothes. The employees, who are backed by the union organizing Starbucks’ workers, filed class-action lawsuits in state court in Illinois and Colorado.
Workers also filed complaints with California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency. If the agency decides not to seek penalties against Starbucks, the workers intend to file a class-action lawsuit in California, according to the complaints.
Starbucks did not comment directly on the lawsuits Wednesday, but the company said it simplified its dress code to deliver a more consistent experience to customers and give its employees clearer guidance. The new dress code went into effect on May 12, requiring all workers in North America to wear a solid black shirt with short or long sleeves under their green aprons.
Employees must wear khaki, black or blue denim bottoms without patterns or frayed hems or solid black dresses that are not more than four inches above the knee. The dress code also requires workers to wear black, gray, dark blue, brown, tan, or white shoes made from a waterproof material. Socks and hosiery must be “subdued,” the company said.
The lawsuits and complaints filed Wednesday allege that Starbucks’ dress code violates state laws that require companies to reimburse workers for expenses that primarily benefit the employer. Colorado law also prohibits employers from imposing expenses on workers without their written consent, according to that lawsuit.
The plaintiffs seek damages on behalf of all Starbucks workers in those states, whether or not their stores are unionized. Multiple plaintiffs, like Allen, said they requested reimbursement from Starbucks to conform to the dress code but were denied. Gilbert Cruz, an employee in Aurora, Illinois, requested USD 10 for the cost of removing a nose piercing.
Worker-led lawsuits in state courts are a shift in tactics in the multi-year effort to unionise Starbucks’ stores. Starbucks Workers United, the labor group that has unionised 640 of Starbucks’ 10,000 company-owned US stores, has filed hundreds of unfair labor practice charges against Starbucks with the National Labor Relations Board. (AP)
