While this legal battle unfolds, Workers United maintains that its identity is distinct from Starbucks and has no interest in creating confusion. As for the “Solidarity with Palestine” tweet, the union claimed it was not authorized by union leadership and was deleted within 40 minutes. Starbucks’ demands for the union to cease using its name and intellectual property did not, according to Workers United, include evidence of public confusion.
Starbucks has made public statements implying that Workers United supports violence and terrorism, leading to harm to the union’s reputation. The lawsuit brought by the union seeks a declaratory judgment of noninfringement of trademarks and compensation, including punitive damages.
In a statement, Starbucks reiterated that some customers had wrongly linked the union’s statements to the company. Starbucks has denied allegations of anti-union behavior and emphasized its commitment to good faith bargaining.
Representatives for Starbucks Workers United and Workers United’s legal counsel did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
