Adam Mawardi
Wed, October 18, 2023
Starbucks has sued Starbucks Workers United for trademark infringement - AP
Starbucks and the trade union representing its US workers have sued each other in a dispute over a pro-Palestinian social media post.
The world’s biggest coffee chain has claimed its reputation has been damaged after Starbucks Workers United tweeted its support for Palestine just days after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
The union last week shared a post on Twitter which read “Solidarity with Palestine”, above an image of a Hamas-operated bulldozer tearing down a fence on the border between Gaza and Israel, during the attacks on October 7.
The café-chain has now sued Starbucks Workers United for trademark infringement, demanding that the union change its name and stop using a circular green logo, according to a legal complaint filed in Iowa on Wednesday.
Starbucks said: “As the violence against the innocent in the region continues, some people are mistakenly tying these remarks to us, because Workers United and its affiliates and members continue to use our name, logo and intellectual property.”
Starbucks Workers United, which represents more than 9,000 employees across the US, countersued the coffee company on Wednesday for allegedly defaming the union by suggesting that it supports terrorism and violence.
It also seeks the federal court’s permission to continue using Starbucks’ name and similar green logo, according to legal documents filed in Pennsylvania.
The now-deleted tweet shared with Starbucks Workers United’s nearly 100,000 followers on Twitter was posted without official authorisation, the union has said.
However, Starbucks said it received more than 1,000 complaints over the social media post, while “angry, hurt customers” have confronted employees in stores and sent “graphic and violent messages” to customer support service workers.
The Seattle-based company also claimed that vandals spray painted the Stars of David and a swastika on the windows of a Starbucks branch in Rhode Island.
In a message shared with employees last week, Starbucks said: “To be clear: We unequivocally condemn these acts of terrorism, hate and violence, and disagree with the statements and views expressed by Workers United and its members.”
According to the café-chain, the union last week rejected requests to issue an immediate correction.
In a letter sent to the company, Starbucks Workers United’s president, Lynne Fox, said in response: “Starbucks is seeking to exploit the ongoing tragedy in the Middle East to bolster the company’s anti-union campaign.”
Starbucks and Starbucks Workers United were contacted for comment.
No comments:
Post a Comment