Starbucks ends its plan to require worker vaccination and testing.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: New York Times

Starbucks ends its plan to require worker vaccination and testing.

By Emma Goldberg
Jan. 19, 2022
Updated 2:18 p.m. ET

Starbucks will no longer require its U.S. employees to be vaccinated or submit to weekly coronavirus testing, following last week’s Supreme Court decision blocking the Biden administration’s vaccine-or-test rule for large businesses.

The Supreme Court’s 6-to-3 decision struck down the White House’s sweeping effort to enlist large employers in its effort to battle Covid-19, but it did not prohibit businesses from keeping their own vaccine requirements in place.

John Culver, the president of North America and chief operating officer for Starbucks, announced the change in a memo to staff members on Tuesday. ... “I want to emphasize that we continue to believe strongly in the spirit and intent of the mandate,” Mr. Culver wrote.

More than 90 percent of Starbucks workers in the United States have disclosed their vaccination status, according to the memo, and “the vast majority” are fully vaccinated. Starbucks, which has nearly 9,000 company-owned stores in the United States, has about 200,000 domestic employees.

{snip}

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/19/business/starbucks-vaccine-mandate.html

---

Hat tip, Joe.My.God.

Starbucks Drops “Vax Or Test” Mandate For Employees
January 19, 2022

https://www.joemygod.com/2022/01/starbucks-drops-vax-or-test-mandate-for-employees/

[NurseJackie]

1. If I went to Starbucks, I'd stop going. But I never go there...

... so I won't be able to participate in any type of boycott (other than to CONTINUE to not go there.)

[madaboutharry]

2. Same.

I don't get the appeal.

[AngryOldDem]

6. They used to be passable.

I sometimes get lattes, and more often than not they taste burnt.

[NurseJackie]

19. Someone gave me a Starbucks gift card one Christmas...

... I re-gifted it.

[BigmanPigman]

25. I did that too.

I went only one time and during that visit the I poured some milk into my iced coffee. I was told that I was required to pay 50 cents since I had "just made a latte" myself. Since I chose never to go into a Starbucks when they monopolized my neighborhood many hears ago I was shocked when I was told I had to pay for milk. I wrote a letter to the company and got a coupon in return. I gave that away as well as all gift cards from my students over the years. I know why they got the name "Starsucks".

[bedazzled]

54. Worst coffee ever

[XanaDUer2]

11. I never go

Their coffee smells like fish to me.

[Rebl2]

18. Same here

Did many years back to buy some tea they only sold at Christmas.

[Cha]

28. Same.. but I have a

friend who did go there and is very Pro Vax and masks.

I'll ask her if she knows about the latest dumb dangerousmove by Starbucks.. what the hell are they thinking?

Russian Roulette?

[LoisB]

48. Same here.

[TygrBright]

3. Drive-through. n/t

[OhZone]

12. How is that safer if they breath covid onto your coffee and cup?

[TygrBright]

20. The virus is not readily transmissible via surface contact or the digestive system.

[link:https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/science-and-research/surface-transmission.html|]

[link:https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-and-food-safety-what-the-studies-say-154097|]

helpfully,
Bright

[OhZone]

26. Well -

"It is possible for people to be infected through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects (fomites), but the risk is generally considered to be low. "

How low tho?


"it could be spread by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes. It’s therefore very important to properly clean and disinfect food contact surfaces and especially high-touch surfaces and utensils in a food environment."


So how do you know an infected barrista didn't just snot or cough or whatever on your cup lid?

I know a few peeps who wore masks religiously but got take out and delivery all the time, and still caught the thing so -

[MichMan]

37. If you are that concerned about that possibility

Probably best to only eat food you prepared personally

[OhZone]

44. I got lax about it after getting my shots - until OMicron -

I even had a party with my friends.

But now we're back to being more careful about takeout and delivery.

We try to get things we can reheat, you know.

My girlfriend is a good cook tho, even tho she's so busy.

[we can do it]

41. Baristas are masked.

[OhZone]

45. but -

are they N95 or KN95 masks?

The cheap masks aren't good enough with Omicron.

I know people who caught it even wearing cheap masks religiously.

[bringthePaine]

4. will use up my gift cards on their instant packs, then done for good

[onecaliberal]

5. Will never spend another dime there.

Buy cards for master teachers who like it but will NEVER spend another penny there.

[Cha]

30. Looks like they'll get all the

rw anti-vaxxers..

[Democrats_win]

7. What do they say about fools and their money?

A fool and his money are soon departed and dropping dead?

Saved by Mr. Coffee since 1990-something.

[Fullduplexxx]

8. Covid coffee

[Cha]

31. At your service!

[GB_RN]

9. I Rarely Drink Coffee...

Last edited Wed Jan 19, 2022, 05:46 PM - Edit history (1)

When I do, it's usually something along the lines of a Starbuck's mocha.

This is a really odd move, because I'd imagine that most of the people that drink Starbuck's aren't the MAGA-type. Seems like this move will alienate a huge chunk of their normal demographics. I certainly won't be going back into one since it means that Starbuck's corporate numbskulls don't value the health of their employees or their customers.

Screw you, Starbuck's!

Edit to add: A copy of the message I left Starbuck's on the company's corporate customer service website:

I learned this afternoon that Starbuck's is ending its plan for worker COVID vaccination and testing (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/19/business/starbucks-vaccine-mandate.html). Having family that are immunocompromised, and as a healthcare worker, I cannot express how disappointed I am, and how strenuously I object to your company's change in direction. Your misguided plan puts not only your employees at risk, but risks the lives of your customers as well. It will also contribute to the unnecessary prolonging of this pandemic. This decision is a slap in the face to every nurse, doctor and all the other healthcare workers in the country, who have struggled to cope with the pandemic over the last 20 months.

It seems to me that with this misguided decision, Starbuck's has chosen to align itself with a segment of the population that is not a natural fit for its products. In my experience, the typical COVID denier, anti-masker, or antivaxxer does not match Starbuck's normal customer demographics.

As mentioned above, I have family that are immunocompromised. I cannot take unnecessary risks that could cause me to become infected with COVID and then infect my family. Therefore, as a result of your corporate board's decisions, I will no longer patronize any Starbuck's location. I will also be encouraging every one I know to avoid Starbuck's, for the same reasons.

[msfiddlestix]

10. Well, damn that's a bummer. I'm going to have to divorce from Starbucks for good now.

I let Starbucks in my life after years of personally boycotting as much as I could. But this is a really bad decision.

[Marthe48]

13. Will not buy there

Wish we could boycott gorsuck as easily.

[OhZone]

14. Bye Bye Starbucks coffee runs -

possibly forever.

[barbtries]

15. public health, the common good,

these mean little to nothing. only the almighty dollar matters, not even human lives matter as much as that.

[regrestic]

16. Starbuck unions

I was going to stop in the Starbucks that are Union now in Buffalo, but I am rethinking now. Only for that reason, don't usually go to them anyways..

[CTyankee]

17. I like Dunkin Donuts better anyway. Starbucks can go suck an egg...

[we can do it]

42. Crappier coffee

[niyad]

43. You did know that from 2005 to the end ofDec. 2020, dunkin, as it is now

called, was owned by a consortium of bain capital, the carlyle group, and thomas lee partners, yes?

The dunkin in my neighborhood is closed right now, the owner complains "nobody wants to work."

[CTyankee]

55. Well, I'd say that consortium, evil as they are, have the right formula for my section of New Haven:

e.g. they have to produce very good bagels (high percentage of Jews in our section, including my husband), veggie cream cheese. Our Sunday morning delight. I make the coffee, hubby goes out to Dunkin', brings me the perfect bagel every week.

[orleans]

21. what a disappointing piece of news. my god! i thought they were a "liberal" company.

i go to starbucks (tho not every day) for a regular latte.

well, fuck them.

i'm gonna buy a milk frother. (any suggestions?)
(i've been thinking of buying one anyway--now i have more of an incentive)

[Hekate]

22. Well, damn. I had thought better of them. nt

[Evolve Dammit]

23. It seems that nationally, we have given up. Can't fight it, let it wash over us, keep open. We are

not what America was even ten years ago. The propoganda has paid off for the libertarian, pro-Orange haters of anything that smacks of civic responsibility.

[Jakes Progress]

24. Golly. Where will I go to overpay for a cup of coffee now?

[mahina]

36. Ahem

Burned coffee

[paleotn]

47. Ha!

[ificandream]

27. Blame SCOTUS, not Starbucks

From the story:

“I want to emphasize that we continue to believe strongly in the spirit and intent of the mandate,” Mr. Culver wrote.

I don't think he can legally force his employees to get vaccinated without the danger of being sued, can he? You should be mad at SCOTUS and all the stupid Republican governors who don't seem to think there is a pandemic.

[Salviati]

35. I believe that they can still have a company wide mandate if they want to.

It's just that the government can no longer require them to have the mandate.

So as much as they claim to "believe strongly in the spirit and intent of the mandate", their actions say otherwise.

[ificandream]

40. Yeah, but you know what would happen ....

You'd get some Fox idiot getting publicity on Fucker Carlson's show Without the mandate, it's not gonna happen.

[Orrex]

29. Yet another reason not to buy their overpriced hot milkshakes.

[FailureToCommunicate]

32. Gotta feel bad for all the countless employees who had no say in the decision.

[rockfordfile]

33. Never used Starbucks. They show weakness when 90% are doing what should be done

It's clear that people are addicted to their product. Just like smokers.

[The_REAL_Ecumenist]

34. This will NOT end well....I don't drink coffee & I live in NorCal BUT Baby is a Coffee connisseur.

If he's not able to make his own coffee with the french press, his own coffee beans & genuine organic flavoring, he's been known to dropping by Starbucks...HOWEVER, this situation has resulted in a vow of NEVER going there again. Living on the west coast, with a few nauseating exceptions, I'm going to make a bet that they will REGRET this to the "NTH" degree.

[Rhiannon12866]

38. Guess I'm not going there.

[Jack-o-Lantern]

39. For the prices they charge, they screw us...so now screw them. Never going back.

[paleotn]

46. Don't like their coffee anyway.

Haven't been in a Starbucks in ages. No fru fru stuff for me. Coffee should be hot, black and strong enough to reach out of the cup and slap you. Now that's good coffee.

[C Moon]

49. Republicans and the rich want COVID kept alive through the midterms and the next Presidential. nt

[Hugh_Lebowski]

50. I'm a Peet's man, myself, going way way back (nt)

[zebrastripe]

51. You do know you are in the FOOD Service Industry

As Starbucks chooses not to mandate masks, does this also mean they do not require their servers to wash their hands?
Rather than insure the safety of the customer Starbucks is putting politics first. I guess I am going back to the times of
"Friends don't let Friends go to Starbucks"

[Owl]

52. That's disappointing. 😡

[BillyBobBrilliant]

53. I stopped going to Starbucks

About 20 years ago.
I make a better cappuccino at home for about $.40 each.