International

Starbucks staff plan to strike in over 100 US stores

Photo: Timothy A. Clary / AFP

| By AFP |

Starbucks workers in more than 100 US stores plan to go on strike Thursday, according to a union, protesting the coffee giant’s approach in negotiating union contracts as the company rolls out festive promotions.

Dubbed the “Red Cup Rebellion,” the one-day strike coincides with a popular event in which Starbucks hands out reusable cups with certain festive purchases.

Instead of the branded cups, workers plan to give out red union cups instead, said Starbucks Workers United, which represents nearly 7 000 employees across the United States.

The action takes place in “response to Starbucks’ union-busting tactics and refusal to bargain,” said the group in a statement.

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It added that workers wanted the right to organize a union free of intimidation and fear.

“Unless Starbucks comes to the table and bargains in good faith for a fair contract, we can count on this to happen again,” the union said.

Workers at two Starbucks cafes in Buffalo, New York, voted to set up a union in late 2021, marking the first at the coffee chain’s company-owned shops in the US.

Now, the Starbucks Workers United represents more than 260 locations.

But the company’s management has been slow to start negotiations on collective agreements, and is accused of intimidation.

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The National Labor Relations Board has issued dozens of complaints against Starbucks, and the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Following efforts at Starbucks, there has been a spread of union drives to a growing slate of corporations including Apple, REI, Chipotle and Trader Joe’s.

These were companies that union organizers have not in the past viewed as fertile to their efforts.

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”