Starbucks Denies Cockroaches and Rats Infest New York Outlets
Starbucks branches in New York are infested with rats and cockroaches yet the company refuses to do anything about it, say workers who have filed a complaint against the chain with the US government.
One activist, at a rally outside a Starbucks in Union Square, Manhattan, where protesters were joined by a giant inflatable rat, said: "It's part of your job to smile excessively but at the same time I'm scared to reach into the cabinet because something might crawl in my hand."
The campaigners released amateur footage of cockroaches and dead rats in what they said were Starbucks backrooms.
The chain denies the allegations, and argues that the complaint to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, in Washington, was "the latest tactic in an aggressive campaign against Starbucks and our partners [employees] that is designed to damage the credibility and good name of the company".
The activists are linked to a campaign to establish a workers' union at Starbucks. The coffee chain has rejected the unionisation demand, claiming the work environment, with the firm's "outstanding compensation and benefits", made unions "unnecessary".
The official view is that New York Starbucks cafes are above average with regard to hygiene.
The city's health department found 44 of the 201 branches in violation of its codes last year but all branches scored better than the average for a New York restaurant.
One activist, at a rally outside a Starbucks in Union Square, Manhattan, where protesters were joined by a giant inflatable rat, said: "It's part of your job to smile excessively but at the same time I'm scared to reach into the cabinet because something might crawl in my hand."
The campaigners released amateur footage of cockroaches and dead rats in what they said were Starbucks backrooms.
The chain denies the allegations, and argues that the complaint to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, in Washington, was "the latest tactic in an aggressive campaign against Starbucks and our partners [employees] that is designed to damage the credibility and good name of the company".
The activists are linked to a campaign to establish a workers' union at Starbucks. The coffee chain has rejected the unionisation demand, claiming the work environment, with the firm's "outstanding compensation and benefits", made unions "unnecessary".
The official view is that New York Starbucks cafes are above average with regard to hygiene.
The city's health department found 44 of the 201 branches in violation of its codes last year but all branches scored better than the average for a New York restaurant.
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