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Missouri AG sues Starbucks for DEI hiring practices that forced workforce to be ‘more female and less white’

February 13, 2025 | | Print Article

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) sued Starbucks for DEI policies that he charged led to unlawful discrimination.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) protocols adopted by Starbucks had the coffee chain prioritizing sex and race in its hiring practices while subjecting employees to segregated training and benefits, a lawsuit filed by Bailey on Tuesday alleges.

In a thread on X, Bailey explained further.

“Discrimination has no place in Missouri,” Baily asserted and cited a recent Supreme Court ruling that prohibits discrimination based on race.

In addition, Starbucks had also vowed to implement mentorship programs for BIOPIC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) employees with special advancement opportunities, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit cited a Starbucks memo from 2021 that touted its own diversity goals aiming for 30 percent BIOPIC employment in corporate roles and 40 percent at retail levels.

“With Starbucks’ discriminatory patterns, practices, and policies, Missouri’s consumers are required to pay higher prices and wait longer for goods and services that could be provided for less had Starbucks employed the most qualified workers, regardless of their race, color, sex, or national origin,” Bailey said in a news release.

Bailey charged that Starbucks used it diversity quotas to make its workforce “more female and less white,” and cited a trend within its employment data between 2020 – 2024 that indicated that allegation.

The lawsuit seeks to immediately end Starbucks’ DEI policies that discriminate against white Americans.

Starbucks denied the discrimination allegations launched against it.

“We disagree with the attorney general and these allegations are inaccurate,” Starbucks said in a statement to KTVI. “We are deeply committed to creating opportunity for every single one of our partners (employees). Our programs and benefits are open to everyone and lawful. Our hiring practices are inclusive, fair and competitive and designed to ensure the strongest candidate for every job every time.”

Bailey, however, was roundly applauded on X for his move:

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