Study Finds Black Baristas at Airport Starbucks Make Less Than White Baristas | Eater

"A Unite Here pay study using data collected February–October 2019 across 142 airport stores in 27 airports reports median hourly wages of $11.15 for Black baristas, $12.67 for Latinx baristas, and $13 for white baristas, suggesting racial pay disparities at the chain's airport locations. The report also says those airport outlets did not close for the national day of racial-bias training that affected about 8,000 company-owned stores, and alleges additional workplace issues including misgendering of LGBTQ workers and managers instructing immigrant staff to stop speaking their preferred language. Those airport outlets are typically run by HMSHost (which had an exclusive partnership with the chain until earlier this year); HMSHost has called the disparity claims “completely untrue,” attributing differences in part to variations in average tenure among racial groups—a rationale the union says does not explain why tenure differs. Corporate policies highlight progressive benefits and 100 percent pay equity across genders and races in company stores, but corporate representatives declined or did not respond to requests for comment in coverage of the report." - Jenny G. Zhang