Proponents of Seattle's controversial paid sick days ordinance are gathering at the Columbia Center Starbucks today in downtown Seattle to induct Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz into a “Paid Sick Days Hall of Shame." The Hall of Shamers say Starbucks, which is headquartered in Seattle, revoked paid sick day benefits for all its US retail employees in 2008 (except in San Francisco, where it's required) but still offers paid sick leave to workers in other countries.

"It's shameful—their corporate workers get paid sick days, but their retail employees don’t," says Gabriela Quintana, the Campaign Coordinator for Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce, which supports the proposal. "All [Shultz's] employees are invited to join us in this protest."

Shamed!
  • Seattle Daily Photo via Flickr
  • Shamed!
Instead of a Hall of Shame plaque to hang on the wall—and perhaps get lost among all the other shiny accolades—the Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce will be presenting Starbucks customers and passing gawkers with custom Hall of Shame coffee sleeves while chanting things like “No virus in our ventis,” “No coughing in my coffee,” and “Howard Schultz, you’re so wealthy, you can afford to keep us healthy.”


(Fun Fact: Howard Schultz made $3.5 million in bonuses alone last year.)

Ralliers are meeting at 12:30 p.m. today in front of the Columbia Center Starbucks in downtown Seattle (4th Avenue and Cherry Street). Afterward, participants plan on walking over to City Hall to attend a 2:00 p.m. hearing on the proposed paid sick days ordinance in City Council chambers.