The Starbucks coffee chain will bear the travel costs in the United States of those employees who want to have an abortion, as well as those of workers who undergo gender reassignment procedures, provided that the nearest center offering such services is more than 160 kilometers awaythe company announced on Monday.
“Regardless of what the Supreme Court decides, we will always ensure that our partners (employees) have access to quality health care,” Acting Vice President Sara Kelly wrote in a letter sent to workers and collected. various local media.
With this measure, Starbucks joins other large companies such as Tesla, Levi Strauss, Yelp or Citigroup that have committed to paying travel costs for those who need to travel to another state to have an abortion.
This is how Starbucks reacts to the leak a Supreme Court draft that includes a majority opinion of this court to repeal a ruling of 1973 in the case known as “Roe v. Wade” and that guaranteed the right to the interruption of pregnancy.
The suppression of that ruling will leave the regulation of abortion in the hands of the states many of which are enacting laws to prohibit or restrict the voluntary termination of pregnancy.
The chain, based in Seattle (Washington), will also extend transportation benefits to people who depend on workers who are enrolled in the company’s health plan.
However, it has not clarified whether it will cover the costs of unionized workers, after last May 4 it announced a raise in salary which expressly excluded cafeteria workers who have organized to form a union.