Starbucks is at the center of a lawsuit for alleged discrimination related to its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
On Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican, filed a lawsuit claiming that the Seattle, WA-based coffee chain enforces “race-and-sex-based hiring practices” and unlawfully segregates employees in violation of anti-discrimination laws, according to a news release.
Since taking office for a second term on Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump has signed several executive orders to dismantle federal DEI initiatives.
“As Attorney General, I have a responsibility to protect Missourians from a company that actively engages in systemic race and sex discrimination,” Bailey said. “Racism has no place in Missouri. We’re filing suit to halt this blatant violation of the Missouri Human Rights Act in its tracks.”
Bailey said the initiatives have led to a “more female and less white” workforce and forced Missouri consumers to “pay higher prices and wait longer for goods and services,” The Washington Post reported.
The news release claims that Starbucks’ employment decisions violate the Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned affirmative action in June 2023, adding that the ruling applies not only to college admissions but also to employment decisions.
“Starbucks has blatantly violated the law by linking its compensation to racial and gender quotas,” the news release further asserts. “Additionally, the company discriminates based on race and gender when it comes to board membership. All of these actions are unlawful.”
Starbucks has about 211,000 employees in the United States, The Post reported. As of August 2020, that figure comprised 69.2% female and 30.8% male employees. Among its workforce, 46.5% identified as Black, Indigenous, or people of color or were unspecified, while 53.5% identified as white.
By September 2024, the workforce makeup had changed to 70.9% women and 28.4% men, with 47.8% identifying as white.
Starbucks began implementing various diversity and sensitivity programs following the high-profile arrest of two Black men at a Philadelphia, PA, location in 2018.
Following the 2020 murder of George Floyd, the company went further and committed to ensuring people of color would hold at least 30% of all corporate roles and a 40% minimum of retail and manufacturing jobs by 2025, per The Post.
The company also pledged to achieve female representation of at least 55% in all retail positions, 50% in all corporate roles, and 30% in all manufacturing positions.
In a statement to The Post, Starbucks disputed Bailey’s allegations, calling them “inaccurate.”
“We disagree with the attorney general, and these allegations are inaccurate,” Starbucks said. “Our programs and benefits are open to everyone and lawful.”
The federal lawsuit against Starbucks comes as many corporations — including Goldman Sachs, Meta, Target, Google, Amazon, Walmart, and McDonald’s — have scaled back or terminated their diversity programs, as AFROTECH™ noted.
