Starbucks steps in to reopen Swift Current investigation into harassment

Starbucks is reopening an investigation into sexual harassment allegations at its store in Swift Current, allegations that have garnered a lot of attention since one of those involved posted two videos to YouTube.

On Saturday, 17-year-old Calli Moreau-Simpson posted a video to YouTube of her speaking to the camera. She doesn’t go into detail but describes herself and other employees at one of the Starbucks stores in Swift Current being harassed and sexually harassed at work by another employee.

In the video, Moreau-Simpson said the employees made complaints to the store management but didn’t get anywhere.

“I went to management to speak to them about it — just to even move my shift so that I don’t work with (the person perpetrating the harassment) — and they told me that it was impossible for them to do that,” she said.

She said the employees sent emails to their district manager and she called head office to complain but to no avail. Moreau-Simpson alleged in the video that two supervisors were fired from their jobs for filing complaints.

In an emailed statement, a Starbucks spokesperson confirmed there were complaints made and said they were investigated locally when they first came to light.

“But we’ve since learned our internal company procedures were not followed. We have reopened the investigation and are working through the appropriate steps to ensure this situation, and any future complaints, will be handled properly going forward,” Starbucks spokesperson Madeleine Lwenborg-Frick said in an email.

In a second video, Moreau-Simpson said she and another worker tried to go to the RCMP to make a complaint, but were told what happened to them wasn’t a criminal matter. The RCMP said it doesn’t comment on whether complaints have been made.

Employment Standards, the organization which would handle workplace complaints, said it had not as of Friday afternoon received any complaints about a Swift Current Starbucks store on this issue.

Moreau-Simpson finished her video by saying that she wasn’t speaking out to throw Starbucks under the bus.

“If this is capable of happening in our workplace then it must be happening in other workplaces as well, especially other Starbucks, and I just wanted to share my opinion because this is not OK,” she said.

Those involved in the allegations were either unwilling or unavailable to comment.