How unequal paid leave policy can negatively affect LGBTQ families

One transgender man is doing something about it

Working at Starbucks is a “dream job” for Niko Walker.

“I’ve been so supported here,” said Walker, who began transitioning from female to male in 2010, shortly before he started a job as a Starbucks barista. “I spoke with my manager, discussed my transition and my request to be called Niko instead. It wasn’t a problem.”

But Starbucks’ inclusion of the LGBTQ community has stalled in recent months, as evidenced by a PL+US report showing the organization’s disproportionate paid family leave offerings.

The policy is sets a particular disadvantage for fathers and adoptive parents who work in retail stores, who receive zero weeks of paid leave. Mothers who give birth and work in Starbucks’ retail stores receive six weeks of paid leave.

Walker has since been promoted from barista and now works as a shift supervisor at a busy Starbucks near Los Angeles International Airport. This August marks his seventh year with the company. When he learned of Starbucks’ unequal paid leave policies, he started an online petition requesting equal paid family leave for LGBTQ families. The petition went viral on social media. Within a few days, he had collected more than 20,000 signatures.

LGBTQ families and paid family leave

• Lesbians and gay men are more likely than heterosexual adults to adopt older children with special needs.
• Policies that offer less paid parental leave to dads and adoptive parents leave these families with less than adequate time to settle into a new life.

Getting heard by Starbucks

“People expect Starbucks to act better than other companies. When they rolled out this policy that was really uneven, it felt really off to a lot of employees,” said Cotter.

Starbucks has a reputation for being responsive to employee concerns, so many employees feel safe speaking out without retaliation.

Walker and PL+US have a goal of collecting 35,000 signatures on the petition and scheduling a meeting this summer with Starbucks’ vice president of global benefits, Ron Crawford, inviting other LGBTQ Starbucks employees in the Seattle area to attend.

“We’re working really hard in these stores. People expect the legendary service,” Walker said. “It’s nice to have 401(k) and school support. But some people are trying to have families, and they can’t leave work because they don’t have benefits.”

Original story by Rebecca Gale for The Washington Post.