Starbucks: Extend the new paid parental leave policy to ALL new parents

My name is Amber and I have worked at Starbucks for 10 years -- going on 11.I am an expecting mother, and I am asking Starbucks to expand its new paid parental leave policy to ALL employees - not just those who work in the corporate office.

Last year my son Kai was born, and he died due to complications from delivery after only two days. Starbucks said I wasn’t allowed more paid maternity leave because there wasn’t a baby anymore - I got a total of $140 dollars. You never think something like that will happen to you - and with all the stress and heartbreak, it is so hard to also have to worry about finances instead of just being able to grieve.

My husband and I just found out that we’re expecting a baby this summer. And when we heard the news that Starbucks had a new parental leave policy which seemed great - new parents in the corporate office get 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave, plus an additional 6 weeks for birth recovery. But you know what? Expecting parents who work in the stores - baristas like me - are being offered much much less. New moms get only 6 weeks, and new dads and adoptive parents don’t get ANY paid time off at all. Are our babies and families less important than those born to corporate employees?

I am asking Starbucks to do what is right by offering the same parental leave benefits to in-store employees as new parents who work in the corporate office. Because my babies need just as much time with me as their babies need with them.

I only had two days with my first child. I know how precious every minute is during that early time. I know that every parent deserves the chance to bond with their baby, and that you can’t get that time back. Please, Starbucks, your baristas deserve the chance to be there with their babies, just as much as the staff in your corporate headquarters.

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