Fired for eating an expired sandwich?

Coulson Lopton is a 21-year-old Starbucks barista who’s on food stamps because he has trouble getting enough hours to pay his bills. And last week, he was fired -- just because he was so hungry he ate an expired sandwich.

Coulson was near the end of a seven hour shift, and he says he was really hungry. He saw a manager throw away some breakfast sandwiches that could no longer be sold, but since they were still wrapped and frozen, they were perfectly good. Coulson warmed one up and ate it. One week later, he was told that Starbucks considered this action “stealing” and that he was being terminated immediately.

Starbucks lists among its core values that it treats its employees with respect and dignity, but that’s not how Coulson was treated.

I started this petition to call on Starbucks to make sure hungry employees have enough to eat, and never again to fire someone for eating an expired sandwich.

As a Seattle resident, I have a lot of pride in Starbucks being a hometown business. The company does a lot of things I respect, such as providing healthcare for part-time workers, seeking out ethically sourced and environmentally sustainable coffee beans, and doing community service work around the country. Why didn’t the company show that same concern for Coulson?

If an employee is hungry enough to eat an expired sandwich, that person should be shown kindness and compassion. Instead, Starbucks showed Coulson the door. It's time for Starbucks to make this right -- and they can start by offering Coulson his job back.

Even Starbucks’ own spokesperson admitted to the media that, in general, an employee would not be fired for eating an expired sandwich. So why did it happen to Coulson? Clearly, Starbucks needs stronger policies to guide local managers and protect employees who are struggling and scraping by selling $5 lattes, trying to make ends meet.

This incident is already a public embarrassment to Starbucks. I know that if enough people sign my petition to keep the pressure on, we can convince the company to address its shameful behavior.

Please sign my petition calling on Starbucks to offer Coulson his job back, and to make sure that baristas no longer have to rely on food stamps and spoiled food to survive. The smiling, hard-working baristas in my community should be able to earn a living wage with schedules they can depend on!