ISSUE 19
C E L E B R AT I N G
VOLUME 50
48 YEARS
F R I D AY
IN
M AY 1 3 , 2 0 2 2
PRINT S E AT T L E ’ S L G B T Q I A + N E W S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T W E E K LY S I N C E 19 74
STARBUCKS HIT WITH LAWSUIT Feds charge company with violating workers’ rights
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer There’s more bad news for Starbucks. The embattled coffee giant was hit with a major national lawsuit on May 4, with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) charging it with “overly broad and discriminatory rules” that systematically violate workers’ labor rights. The NLRB is the federal agency that oversees labor-management relations and enforces the National Labor Relations Act.
According to the NLRB, Starbucks’ so-called “Partners Guide” — the company’s employee handbook — illegally restricts employees in areas that are none of the company’s business. The NLRB’s suit cites no fewer than 19 different sections of the handbook, each of which constitute “interfering with, restraining, and coercing employees in the exercise” of their right to form a union under the National Labor Relations Act.
see LAWSUIT page 21
Birds of praise
Seward Audubon naturalists give local birds the attention they deserve in weekend classes
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz – Photo by Ted S. Warren / AP
Down and dirty with Gay racer Dustin Sprouse
And, yes, he answers all our questions about why he’s a Trump supporter
Photo by Nick Rapp
by Nick Rapp SGN Contributing Writer With a whopping 120 acres of old growth forest, Seward Park offers abundant territory for a biodiverse crew of wildlife. And this time of year, it houses thousands of avian visitors from as far as 4,000 miles south.
Photo courtesy of Dustin Sprouse
Spring migration brought over 800,000 birds across King County on May 7 alone, according to Ed Dominguez, lead naturalist of the Seward Park Audubon Center. Dominguez leads frequent “Early Bird” classes in the park, guiding newbies and experienced birders alike on morning tours.
see BIRDS page 4
by Mikey Rox Special to the SGN There’s no beating around the bush with competitive race car driver Dustin Sprouse: he’s out, he’s proud, and he’s an unrepentant Trump supporter. Before you crumple up this page or close the browser window — like most
LGBTQ+ folks are apt to do whenever they read the T-word — Sprouse implores you to hear him out. And so do I. Which is precisely why I chose to interview the 35-yearold amateur athlete who won Rookie of the Year in 2021 in dirt-track racing’s Top Notch Late Model series.
see SPROUSE page 16