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A former executive at Starbucks has stated that she was let go after bringing up issues regarding the presence of maggots in one of the company’s machinery systems.

Janice Waszak filed a legal action against the company on Monday, claiming she was terminated following her report to management about maggots discovered in a milk dispenser and a distinct manufacturing issue that caused a fire during the launch of Starbucks’s Siren System,the Seattle Times reports. 

“They deserved to honor her for speaking out about the truth,” said her lawyer, Michael C Subit, to the publication.

‘Instead, they fired her.’ 

He and Waszak’s other attorney, Catherine Sellers, also argue that her dismissal stemmed from gender-based discrimination, stating that Starbucks “allegedly fired her over personal conduct that has not led to the termination of male employees.”

She is currently pursuing compensation, which includes losses from missed income and legal costs.

However, Starbucks executives deny her statements and have mentioned they are eager to defend their position in court.

“Ensuring safety is the highest priority for Starbucks, and these allegations are completely baseless,” said a representative from the Seattle-based company to the Daily Mail.

Ms. Waszak was removed from the company following an inquiry into claims that her behavior breached Starbucks’ workplace conduct guidelines,” the representative added, stating, “We are eager to submit our evidence in court.

Waszak began her career at the company in 2004 as a brand manager and progressed to the role of director of concept innovation—responsible for the creation and evaluation of new projects—by 2016, as stated in the legal complaint.

Two years later, she began working under Natarajan Venkatakrishnan, who was then the vice president of global equipment. Shortly after, his team of equipment engineers developed the Siren System – a unique equipment solution designed to enhance productivity and profitability in coffee shops.

In a press statement issued then, Starbucks referred to the system as “a set of equipment and technological upgrades… designed to simplify the process of preparing drinks and food for team members.”

It was ‘intended to allow baristas to prepare any drink in 40 seconds or less, thereby greatly enhancing Starbucks’s efficiency and profits,’ according to Waszak’s legal complaint.

However, when Venkatakrishnan introduced the Siren System to top executives in early 2022, two executives reportedly questioned his financial forecasts.

Neither was still employed by the company several months later, as stated in the lawsuit submitted to the Kings County Superior Court.

According to the statement, Venkatakrishnan later told Waszak that he was responsible for ending the careers of both executives because they had criticized him.

By April 2022, the evaluation of the Siren System came under Waszak’s responsibility.

At that moment, she states she observed that the system’s milk dispenser was infested with maggots because of inadequate cleaning—and larvae even emerged from the machine during a presentation to Starbucks executives.

“The lawsuit claims that baristas removed the maggots to prevent guests from noticing them,” the lawsuit alleges.

It also mentions that she quickly discovered from staff that the system’s design was “too complex” to be adequately cleaned, and team members shared that they were hesitant to report genuine test results to Venkatakrishnan due to concern that he would “lose his temper,”MyNorthwest reports.

Waszak eventually informed Venkatakrishnan of the health and safety risks she identified, but he is said to have proceeded with the implementation plans for the Siren System.

By 2023, Waszak had been elevated to a vice president role, where she was responsible for the evaluation of the Siren System.

At one time, she stated she observed a milk dispenser ignite due to a production flaw.

However, when she shared her worries with Vekatakrishnan and other company leaders, conflicts with her supervisor increased, and Starbucks proceeded with the countrywide implementation of the Siren System.

In the end, Waszak states that she had a meeting with a human resources manager to address the issues she was encountering, such as Venkatakrishnan allegedly shouting at her and criticizing her, which caused her to cry.

She reportedly chose to submit a grievance against her supervisor in December 2023, but by the end of the same month, she was terminated for breaching the company’s anti-bullying and harassment regulations, as stated in the legal complaint.

It states that following her notification of being fired, Waszak discovered that an employee had lodged a complaint against her, referencing negative feedback and unclear directions.

But Waszak is said to have found out that an ethics and compliance officer looked into the claims and concluded she had not created a hostile workplace.

The officer is said to have suggested she be given a warning, yet the company still terminated her employment.

We don’t accept the explanation they provided,” Subit stated, contending that his client “angered her superiors by refusing to yield and as a result, she was dismissed.

Subit and Sellers further claim that Waszak experienced gender discrimination, stating, “we don’t believe that men were subjected to this requirement.”

As per his LinkedIn profile, Venkatakrishnan remains employed at Starbucks in the role of senior vice president.

His Siren System resulted in the official launch of the Siren Craft System, a project that started in 2023 and was publicly unveiled the subsequent year.

“The purpose of [the] Siren Craft System is primarily to assist in meeting our demand by reducing customer wait times, while enhancing connectivity, improving the quality of our coffee, and recognizing the skill of our baristas every single day,” said Sara Trilling, a former executive vice president and president of Starbucks North America, in a statement at that time.

By the end of May 2024, more than 1,100 American coffee shops had adopted the Siren Craft System, according to the Seattle Times.

However, under CEO Brian Niccol, who assumed leadership of the company that September, the implementation of the system was limited.

It remains uncertain how many cafés continue to employ this system.

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