SC Starbucks union workers fired but won’t face kidnapping charges. What we know

Several Anderson Starbucks workers have been fired and a judge has denied issuing a warrant against workers accused of kidnapping the manager.

Starbucks said in an emailed statement Wednesday the workers violated company policy by going into the store off Interstate 85 on July 24 when it was closed. The release did not say how many workers were fired.

Workers voted unanimously to unionize in June.

“We fully respect our partners’ right to organize but no one, regardless of their interest in a union, is exempt from following the policies that are in place to protect other partners, our customers and the communities we serve,” the Starbucks statement said.

The workers did not seek or have permission to be in the store, the company said.

“We cannot ignore blatant violations of policy and practice,” the statement said.

Spokespeople for the workers or the union could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, Caroline Skeen, spokesperson for the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, said officers interviewed all the employees who attended a meeting with the store manager on Aug. 1 in which they issued their demands.

“After talking with all the employees and seeing the TikTok video that an employee posted from the event, none of the allegations were true,” Skeen said. “The employees did not stop her from leaving and did not put their hands on her, which is what the boss reported had happened. She is the one who initiated any kind of contact when she pushed past one of the employees as she was walking out of the door.”

The TikTok video shows manager Melissa Morris on the phone sitting at a table with a dozen or so employees standing nearby. She then gets up, walks past them and to the front of the store, nudging one employee as they pass.

Someone says, “Why are you pushing him?”

The employees had just asked for higher wages — they make $12 a hour — and for the company to fix broken equipment. They also said hours have been cut.

A Twitter post from the union called the kidnapping and assault allegations “false and absurd.”

“We partners have had enough with our company’s intimidation and aggressive union-busting campaign. It is time for our overworked and underpaid partners to strike back!” Aneil Tripathi, a union organizer said on a gofundme page, seeking to replace lost wages.

The workers staged strikes in June and July and protested outside the store each time.