Recently, you may have heard mention of an old rumor concerning Starbucks support of military personnel. This rumor originated in the U.S. but has been modified and is now circulating throughout the UK as well. On behalf of Starbucks more than 160,000 dedicated partners (employees), we wanted to set the record straight.
This rumor is not, and never has been, true. It refers to false information contained in an email that originated in 2004. At that time, Starbucks contacted its author, a Marine Sergeant who subsequently sent an e-mail to his original distribution list correcting his mistake, the text of which is:
"Dear Readers,
Almost 5 months ago I sent an e-mail to you my faithful friends. I did a wrong thing that needs to be cleared up. I heard by word of mouth about how Starbucks said they didn't support the war and all. I was having enough of that kind of talk and didn't do my research properly like I should have. This is not true. Starbucks supports men and women in uniform. They have personally contacted me and I have been sent many copies of their company's policy on this issue. So I apologize for this quick and wrong letter that I sent out to you.
Now I ask that you all pass this email around to everyone you passed the last one to.
Thank you very much for understanding about this.
Howard C. Wright
Sgt USMC
1st Force Rcon Co
1st Plt PLT RTO
dated: August 17, 2004"
Additionally, confirmation that this is an inaccurate rumor can be found at:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Nov2004/n11092004_2004110908.html
http://www.boycottwatch.org/misc/starbucks2.htm
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/s/starbucks-iraq.htm
http://www.aMillionThanks.org
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/starbucks.asp
We hope this helps put this rumor to rest, so that it no longer distracts from the many outstanding demonstrations of support our partners have made on their own and together. A few examples of their generosity include:
• Each week Starbucks partners receive one free pound of coffee. On an individual grass roots level, many partners in the U.S. have collected their free coffee and shipped thousands of pounds of Starbucks coffee overseas.
• Partners in our Atascadero, California store sent their personal weekly allotment of coffee to troops in Afghanistan so they would be able to enjoy a little taste of home.
• Our customer relations department in Seattle donated hundreds of pounds of coffee to the sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier.
Starbucks, our customers and our partners respect the efforts of the U.S. men and women who serve their country in the military - including our fellow partners who serve. On Sept. 21, 2006, Starbucks was honored with the Freedom Award during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. This is the highest award bestowed by the Department of Defense to an employer and recognizes those companies that provide exceptional support to employees who voluntarily serve the nation in the National Guard and Reserve.
Starbucks employs many partners who serve in the military and are currently on active duty. In support of their efforts, Starbucks provides a supplement to make up the difference between their military pay and their pay level at Starbucks before they went on leave. The partner can continue health coverage, and family health coverage, if enrolled, for up to 18 months. Partners are guaranteed a position upon return from active duty, except in rare circumstances, as permitted under the Federal Military Leave Laws; additionally, tenure at Starbucks is also kept while on active duty.
To enhance our U.S. partners' efforts in support of U.S. military troops, Starbucks is honored to extend our relationship with the American Red Cross in order to provide more coffee to relief efforts during times of conflict. On multiple occasions, Starbucks has donated a total of more than 200,000 lbs of coffee to the American Red Cross for distribution to those troops serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait.
