Starbucks, Workers United union sue each other in standoff over pro-Palestinian social media post

By DEE-ANN DURBIN
AP Business Writer

Starbucks and the union organizing its workers sued each other Wednesday in a standoff sparked by a social media post over the Israel-Hamas war. Starbucks says a pro-Palestinian social media post from a Starbucks Workers United account angered hundreds of customers and damaged its reputation. Starbucks wants Workers United to stop using its name and logo. Workers United responded with its own filing, asking a federal judge to continue to use Starbucks’ name and a similar logo, and accusing Starbucks of defamation. Starbucks Workers United posted “Solidarity with Palestine!” on X, formerly known as Twitter on Oct. 9. Starbucks says it received more than 1,000 complaints about the post.