Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, over 145 individuals across various professions faced job-related consequences for their statements about his death, highlighting the increasing tension between free speech and workplace policies amid political polarization.
A third-party assessment of Starbucks' labor practices has found that the company lacks guidance on disciplining workers and measuring compliance with collective bargaining rights. The assessment, requested by shareholders, did not find evidence of an "antiunion playbook" but attributed missteps in dealing with unionized workers to a lack of preparation and mistakes by inexperienced staff. The report suggests that Starbucks enhance its human-rights commitment and provide clearer behavioral guidance for staff. The assessment also found that discharges at unionized locations occur at the same rate as nonunionized stores but recommends improving the framework and standards for staff discipline. Starbucks' board has expressed its commitment to taking meaningful action in response to the findings.