Howard Schultz’s new plan to end the shutdown: a Starbucks petition

Walk into Starbucks stores Friday and witness Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz’s latest effort to shame federal legislators into ending the government shutdown.

The executive, who along with his giant coffee chain has spoken out recently on wide-ranging issues including gun control and public smoking, is asking customers to sign a petition directed at Congress and the White House.

The demands are simple, asking Washington to “reopen our government, pay our debts on time and pass a bipartisan long-term budget deal by the end of the year.”

The document will be distributed in stores over the next three days. Patrons can also tear out copies printed in major newspapers to bring into stores.

In a public letter Thursday, Schultz decried “the current crisis of leadership,” calling it “continued dysfunction.”

He said the petition grew out of “the sad and striking realization that the American people have no platform with which to voice their frustration with Washington.”

Schultz had already made his distaste for the stalemate known earlier this week, via a variety of public statements. His Seattle company also offered customers a free tall brewed coffee – as long as they bought a drink for a fellow patron, in the interest of unity.

ALSO:

Unemployment claims surge; federal shutdown a factor

URS Corp. furloughs 3,000 workers amid government shutdown

Consumer confidence at lowest level since January after shutdown