Business
Starbucks staff are suing the coffee shop over its ‘tone deaf’ new dress code
Starbucks is facing legal challenges in three US states after workers initiated action over a new dress code. Employees claim the coffee giant broke the law by not reimbursing them for new clothing required by the updated policy.
Backed by the union organising Starbucks staff, workers have filed class-action lawsuits in state courts in Illinois and Colorado. Additionally, complaints have been lodged with California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency. Should the agency opt not to pursue penalties against Starbucks, the employees intend to launch a class-action lawsuit in California, according to the filings.
The new dress code, implemented on 12 May, mandates that all North American staff wear a plain black shirt, either short or long-sleeved, beneath their signature green aprons. These shirts must cover the midriff and armpits, with collars being optional. Starbucks did provide each employee with two complimentary T-shirts that meet the new specifications.
Employees must wear khaki, black or blue denim bottoms without patterns or frayed hems or solid black dresses that are not more than 4 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 dress code prohibits employees from having face tattoos or more than one facial piercing. Tongue piercings and “theatrical makeup” are also prohibited.
Starbucks said in April that the new dress code would make employees’ green aprons stand out and create a sense of familiarity for customers. It comes as the company is trying to reestablish a warmer, more welcoming experience in its stores.
Before the new dress code went into effect, Starbucks had a relatively lax policy. In 2016, it began allowing employees to wear patterned shirts in a wider variety of colors to give them more opportunities for self-expression.
The old dress code was also loosely enforced, according to the Colorado lawsuit. But under the new dress code, employees who don’t comply aren’t allowed to start their shifts.
Brooke Allen, a full-time student who also works at a Starbucks in Davis, California, said she was told by a manager in July that the Crocs she was wearing didn’t meet the new standards and she would have to wear different shoes if she wanted to work the following day. Allen had to go to three stores to find a compliant pair that cost her $60.09.
Allen has spent an additional $86.95 on clothes for work, including black shirts and jeans.
“I think it’s extremely tone deaf on the company’s part to expect their employees to completely redesign their wardrobe without any compensation,” Allen said. “A lot of us are already living paycheck to paycheck.”
Allen said she misses the old dress code, which allowed her to express herself with colorful shirts and three facial piercings.
“It looks sad now that everyone is wearing black,” she 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 $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 unionize Starbucks’ stores.
Starbucks Workers United, the labor group that has unionized 640 of Starbucks’ 10,000 company-owned U.S. stores, has filed hundreds of unfair labor practice charges against Starbucks with the National Labor Relations Board. The union filed an charge over the dress code in April.
But the board’s ability to hear cases has been curtailed under President Donald Trump. Trump fired an NLRB member in the spring, leaving the board without the quorum it needs to decide cases.
2025 Mahindra Bolero Neo Facelift: The Mahindra Bolero Neo was first launched in July 2021 as a rebadged version of the Mahindra TUV300. Since then, it has not received any major updates. However, a test mule of the updated Bolero Neo has been spotted in India with some fresh design elements. The launch is likely to happen before 2025 ends. Here is what you can expect from the updated 2025 Mahindra Bolero Neo.
Design Changes
The spotted test model was heavily camouflaged, but a few design updates were visible. The biggest change is the grille. The new grille gets horizontal slats that connect both headlights. In comparison, the current Bolero Neo comes with a honeycomb mesh grille with vertical slats.
The bumper also seems revised. The lower air intake now features horizontal elements instead of the honeycomb pattern. Apart from this, the SUV continues with the same halogen headlights and fog lamps as the current model.
The spotted test model had the same 15-inch silver alloy wheels, but the production version might get new rims for a fresher look. The rear profile looks unchanged with wraparound halogen tail lamps and a boot-mounted spare wheel with cover.
Cabin Updates
The interiors have not been revealed yet. But Mahindra is expected to make small updates to keep it modern. Likely additions include a larger touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, automatic AC with rear vents, and a rear armrest.
Current features like an analogue instrument cluster with MID, all power windows, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, cruise control, and a 6-speaker sound system are expected to continue.
Safety Updates
The updated model is likely to come with 6 airbags as standard. Other safety features like ABS with EBD, ISOFIX mounts, and a rear camera with sensors are expected to be retained.
Engine And Price
The SUV may continue with the same 1.5-litre diesel engine, producing 100 PS and 260 Nm, mated with a 5-speed manual transmission. Prices are expected to be slightly higher than the current model, which costs between Rs 9.97 lakh and Rs 12.18 lakh (post-GST cut).
Share prices consolidated their gains at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Friday, with the benchmark index soaring to a new all-time high. Trading activity reflected renewed investor confidence, driven by economic stability and strategic diplomatic developments.
During intraday trading, the PSX’s KSE-100 Index climbed 652.76 points, or 0.41 percent, to reach 158,606 points, marking another record for the national bourse.
Out of 439 companies that transacted shares, 256 posted gains, 166 incurred losses, and 17 remained unchanged.
Analysts attributed the rally to Pakistan’s recently signed Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) with Saudi Arabia during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Riyadh.
The pact ensures that any aggression against either country will be treated as an attack on both, sending a positive signal of stability to the market.
The previous day, the KSE-100 Index had surged 1,775.65 points, a 1.14 percent rise, closing at 157,953.47 points.
Market activity remained robust, with 1,959,100,058 shares traded, valued at Rs56.93 billion, up from 1,499,302,473 shares worth Rs48.85 billion the day before.
Top trading volumes were led by Cnergyico PK with 213,091,825 shares at Rs8.41 each, followed by WorldCall Telecom with 141,834,094 shares at Rs1.78, and Fauji Foods Ltd with 101,805,720 shares at Rs21.51.
Supernet Technologies Limited recorded the highest increase, rising by Rs.89.54 to close at Rs984.93, followed by Nestle Pakistan Limited, which gained Rs75.78 to close at Rs8,425.78.
On the downside, Unilever Pakistan Foods Limited lost Rs.160.72, closing at Rs.32,439.26, while Rafhan Maize Products Company Limited declined by Rs115.57 to close at Rs9,583.98.
In the futures market, 358,784,000 shares were traded, valued at Rs.12.71 billion, compared to 270,465,500 shares worth Rs.12.44 billion the previous day.
Among 319 companies, 246 advanced, 71 declined, and 2 remained unchanged.
Leading futures turnover included KOSM-SEP with 44,666,500 shares at Rs.8.01, CNERGY-SEP with 29,877,500 shares at Rs.8.45, and FFL-SEP with 29,203,500 shares at Rs.21.63.
GHNI-OCT recorded the highest gain, rising by Rs.15.44 to Rs.868.00, while GAL-OCT declined by Rs.14.00 to Rs.585.00.
Kate JusticeHagley and
Tanya GuptaWest Midlands
BBCA small business owner has had to close her shop and go into liquidation because of rising costs and a fall in customer spending.
Rachel Edmonds, who started The Butcheress in Hagley, Worcestershire, in 2017, and is known for her bright pink vans and logos, said the price of meat had doubled in the past six months, and at the same time, the average spend per customer had dropped dramatically.
She said increased energy and National Insurance costs meant she had been making a loss for months and she called on the government for more support for small businesses.
A Treasury spokesman said the government was pro-business and trying to create a fairer business rates system.
Ms Edmonds said: “Buying trends have changed. The expensive products like beef, lamb, fillet steak – we used to sell a lot of those. They’re now buying sausages, bacon, chicken fillets, chicken thigh meat and gammon steaks.
“They are lower cost products that obviously feed more of a family and fill them up.”
She said the average basket spend had gone from £28.30 per customer to £5 or £6 per customer and the number of customers had also dropped.
‘Rising costs’
People were going to supermarkets because they had cheaper products, she added.
Ms Edmonds said the cost of beef had “more than doubled in the last six months”, adding: “I just think there’s a massive effect on the meat industry at the moment with the rising costs of meat that’s rising every week.”
She said the industry was suffering because of a number of factors, including supply shortages involving British farmers and British meat, abattoirs operating for fewer days, high costs of abattoir licences, staffing costs, transport costs, packaging costs and feed costs for animals.
“Everything is going up and it’s getting out of control,” she said.
She said she had paid out wages that were more than half her weekly turnover, and electricity was £3,000 a month for a small shop.
“How is anyone going to survive going forward? We need help from the government,” she said.
“I’m not going to be the first person to shut and I certainly won’t be the last.”
A Treasury spokesman said: “We are a pro-business government that is creating a fairer business rates system to protect the high street, support investment, and level the playing field.”
He said the government intended to permanently introduce lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties from next year.
He added that last year’s tax decisions had delivered on “priorities of the British people, from investing in the NHS to cutting waiting lists and putting more money in their pockets”.
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