Starbucks Files Lawsuit Against Union for Posting 'Support for Palestine' Statement

Lawsuit for Trademark Infringement on Union Logo Filed
"Received Threatening Calls... Company Reputation Damaged"
US Lawmakers and Jewish Chamber of Commerce Also 'Boycott'

Starbucks has filed a lawsuit against its union for posting a pro-Palestinian message on social media (SNS) during the early stages of the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Starbucks Workers Union logo. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

According to foreign media including the AP on the 18th (local time), Starbucks also filed a trademark infringement lawsuit, demanding that the union cease using the name "Starbucks Workers Union" and stop using a green circular logo similar to the Starbucks logo. Starbucks claims that the post angered hundreds of customers and damaged the company's reputation.

Earlier, the Starbucks employee union, "Starbucks Workers Union," posted on X (formerly Twitter) on the 9th, two days after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, with the message "Solidarity with Palestine!"

The Starbucks union stated that the post was deleted about 40 minutes later. However, posts and retweets from Starbucks union local chapters supporting Palestine and criticizing Israel remained on X as of that day.

Starbucks said it received over 1,000 complaints related to the union's post, stating, "Employees had to face hostile customers and even received threatening phone calls."

Sarah Kelly, Starbucks Vice President, wrote in a letter to employees last week, "Starbucks clearly condemns hate, terrorism, and acts of violence."

Starbucks also expressed condolences for the innocent victims in Israel and the Gaza Strip in a statement.

Lin Fox, representative of the Starbucks union, criticized the company's demands, saying, "Starbucks is using the ongoing tragedy in the Middle East as an anti-union campaign."

Meanwhile, some U.S. lawmakers, including Republican Senator Rick Scott, have called for a boycott of Starbucks.

Randy Fine, a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives, wrote on X on the 11th, "If you go to Starbucks, you are supporting the killing of Jews."

The Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce (OJC) also pointed out that the Starbucks union supported Hamas and called for a widespread boycott of Starbucks.

In a statement, the OJC emphasized, "We will spread a strong message (boycott) against the normalization of violence and hate."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.