Rape and sexual harassment at work at Starbucks

In an interview with the American ABC television network, former Starbucks barista Kati Moore tells how she was sexually harassed and raped several times by her superior, Tim Horton (no link with the Canadian chain), when she held, at 16 years, his first job. When prosecutors in the state of California have been aware of the facts, they filed a complaint against the manager. But for reasons that are unknown, Starbucks leadership instead chose to defend his manager, paying his legal fees and Kati simply transferring to another branch. Despite the financial support of Starbucks, Tim Horton was found guilty and sentenced to prison.

In response to media coverage of ABC, Starbucks has circulated an internal memo condemning Kati and claiming that his sexual relations were consensual Horton, even if Horton had been convicted of raping Kati.

“The union workers and Starbucks workers is disgusted that the direction of Starbucks not only continues to tolerate sexual harassment and rape, but more supports and finances the guilty and publicly attack those who have the courage to speak”, it said in a statement the organization, affiliated IWW

“We are disgusted but not surprised. If Kati Moore is not an isolated incident, and our union receives frequent Starbucks workers grievances that have not been taken seriously by the company when they complained to suffer sexual harassment at work. Whether by inaction, or even worse by refusing to keep confidential complaints, Starbucks has always blamed the victims or completely ignored those who denounced acts of sexual violence at work.”, continues the union.

And if Kati Moore might be the tip of the iceberg. In an act unprecedented explicitly referring to the story of Kati Moore, several supervisors have recently addressed a letter stinging the Starbucks leadership asking to take disciplinary action against a Regional Vice President, Andrew Alfano, which is described as a man “feared and not respected” and as a template using “scare tactics and intimidation”.

Beyond Starbucks, the problem could also be present in other fast food chains, using mostly teenage labor. According to the specialist sexual harassment at work, le Dr Susan Strauss, Young workers are more vulnerable to this kind of situation, and this kind of criminal behavior on the part of supervisors would not exceptional.

[youtube = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v = mIqpNe4K3sk]