Inside The Conflict Between Owner And Baristas That Shut Down A Seattle Coffee Shop – CoffeeTalk

The July 30 meeting of the Seattle City Council was tense as Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth introduced a bill that would extend Seattle’s tipped minimum wage and avert a situation where restaurants would have to pay tipped employees up to $3 per hour more next year, which restaurant owners fear will damage their businesses. Union members and others denounced Hollingsworth and her bill, while restaurant owners spoke in support of it. However, the three-minute time limit for sharing left little time for deep discussion.

A few minutes later, Ali Ghambari stood up to speak, wearing a T-shirt with the logo of his coffee shop mini-chain, Cherry Street Coffee. Ghambari bemoaned the lack of affordable housing and explained that he has been in business for 32 years but still cleans grease traps at his shops rather than “sitting in an expensive house by the water.” The last thing he said isn’t clear from the video of the meeting, but his employees interpreted it as a threat that he might close his stores. Less than two months later, one of his stores is closed anyway — the Capitol Hill location shuttered a month ago after workers walked out and Ghambari does not plan to reopen it, according to Capitol Hill Seattle Blog. Meanwhile, baristas at the remaining Cherry Street cafes have been engaged in a public battle with Ghambari, accusing him of sexual harassment, erratic scheduling practices, and not paying them enough. They have written a public list of demands and staged multiple walkouts, and though their problems with Ghambari go well beyond his appearance in front of the City Council, his comments set everything off.

The relationship between the owner and his workers was already strained, as the owner sometimes “screamed” at employees. Pablo, one of the Cherry Street baristas, says that Ghambari’s presence at the meeting — and his advocacy for keeping the tipped minimum wage so he could pay his baristas less — seemed to contradict his declarations that he “loves his baristas and loves the work that we do.” And the threat that he might close his stores took them aback.

News of Ghambari’s comments spread through Cherry Street employee group chats. The relationship between the owner and his workers was already strained, as the owner sometimes “screamed” at employees, and Ghambari would allegedly comment on their bodies, frequently calling them “sexy,” a word Pablo says Ghambari frequently uses to describe a lot of things.

On the day of the walkout, 18 baristas sent a list of demands to Ghambari, including requests for “an end to sexual harassment” and schedules to be shared three weeks in advance. Ten days later, employees received a response from management saying, among other things, that “all employees, including managers, will complete certified anti-harassment training in the very near future.” The response, which has since been made public, was frustrating, as the baristas and representatives from management are continuing discussions and plan to meet again.

Read More @ Eater