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Starbucks’ CEO told Fox Business that the coffee chain is “ahead of schedule” on its major transformation effort.
an ancient Starbucks executive is suing the coffee giant, alleging he was unfairly fired after raising safety concerns about the store’s new equipment.
Janice Waszak accused the coffee giant of wrongful termination and sexual discrimination. She claims Starbucks fired her after she raised concerns about the safety and functionality of a proprietary equipment system known as the Siren System.
Starbucks argued that the claims are “completely without merit.”
Starbucks publicly announced the Siren system to investors in 2022, claiming it would significantly increase productivity in Starbucks stores and expand the company’s revenue and profit margin, the declared demand However, “after further testing, Waszak learned that Siren had several defects that created health and safety risks,” the lawsuit stated, adding that Waszak “realized that Siren could never be profitable and could result in deep financial losses for the company.”
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Janice Waszak accused the coffee giant of wrongful termination and sexual discrimination. (iStock)
Waszak alleged in the lawsuit that he was fired in “retaliation for reporting and objecting to his materially false or misleading statements about Siren’s profitability and health and safety risks.” The court documents further alleged that Starbucks also “discriminated against Waszak based on her gender when it allegedly fired her for interpersonal behaviors for which it has not held male employees accountable.”
“Safety is a top priority for Starbucks, and these claims have no merit,” Starbucks said in a statement, adding that Waszak “was separated from the company following an investigation into allegations that her conduct violated Starbucks’ employment conduct policies.”
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| Ticker | security | last | change | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEX | STARBUCKS CORP. | 91.76 | -0.19 |
-0.21% |
The company said it expected to present “evidence in court”.
According to the lawsuit, the problems arose when Starbucks did a live demonstration of Siren for a large group of district managers and regional directors at the Tryer Center in October 2022. During the demonstration, “worms fell from the top. milk dispenser and fell onto the counter and drinks,” according to the lawsuit. The documents also alleged that “baristas removed the worms to prevent patrons from seeing them.”
Starbucks said Waszak was “separated from the company following an investigation into allegations that her conduct violated Starbucks’ employment conduct policies.” (Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Waszak claimed he “later learned that the worms had been breeding in Siren’s milk dispenser because it was improperly cleaned,” according to the lawsuit.
Waszak also alleged that Starbucks staff also told him they were concerned that the “complicated” design of Siren’s milk dispenser would make cleaning difficult.
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“Waszak believed that Siren’s complicated design, and the inability of staff to clean the milk dispenser properly, exacerbated the potential for worms or other contaminants to grow back into the equipment, creating health and safety risks for Starbucks customers and staff,” the lawsuit said.
In September 2023, the Siren milk dispenser also caught fire while being used by baristas at the Tryer Center. Starbucks later determined that the fire had been caused by a manufacturing defect involving faulty wiring. However, the lawsuit claims that at the time of the fire, the “siren was already being tested at several test stores in the Seattle area, and milk dispensers from the same manufacturer were being used store baristas”
The worms fell from the overhead milk dispenser, Waszak alleged in a lawsuit. (Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Waszak discussed Siren’s health and safety risks with his superior, Vice President of Global Teams Natarajan Venkatakrishnan, to whom he has reported since 2018, according to the lawsuit.
Waszak finished in December 2023.
