Florida AG Says Starbucks’ Diversity Policies Constitute Illegal Quotas

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts once wrote that “the best way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.” Still, some of the country’s biggest and most powerful companies seem to be trying to redress past bias by engaging in bias against a different group of people.

On various fronts, the tide seems to have shifted somewhat against Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies that seemingly favor one group over another. Now, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a lawsuit against Starbucks Coffee Company, accusing them of violating anti-discrimination laws in several ways, such as:

  • Creating racial hiring goals that effectively act as quotas, denying opportunities to applicants who don’t fit into the selected groups

  • Establishing “pay equity” programs that offer higher salaries to certain employees because of their race

  • Partially determining bonuses based on whether an executive acted as a mentor to a worker classified as Black, Indigenous or a Person of Color (BIPOC)

  • Partially determining bonuses based on the retention of BIPOC employees under the executive’s purview

  • Limiting certain mentorship and networking opportunities to workers with certain personal characteristics

Federal and state employment laws — including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and analogous state statutes — prohibit employment decisions based on race. The Florida complaint alleges both disparate-treatment and potentially systemic practices that, if proven, could constitute unlawful discrimination in hiring, compensation, promotion, and terms and conditions of employment.

The complaint alleges that DEI practices affecting the more than 900 Florida Starbucks locations have caused harm in many ways. While some White, Asian and multiracial applicants never got a job in the first place with the popular chain, the Attorney General says that some who did received lower wages and were denied the chance to advance within the company. One section of the lawsuit notes that Floridians have contacted the Attorney General regarding Starbucks’ DEI practices and how they caused both financial losses and personal humiliation.  

No matter how big or powerful your employer might seem, they still must follow the law. If you know or suspect that you’ve been victimized by any type of unlawful workplace bias, including what’s referred to as “reverse discrimination,” contact the Kardell Law Group today.