Workers at Cherry Street Coffee House shut down all four cafe locations Friday morning to put pressure on their boss, Ali Ghambari, to meet their demands for improved working conditions and better pay. 

Ghambari pushed his workers to their breaking point in July when he testified at City Hall, apparently in favor of Council Member Joy Hollingsworth's bill to retain a “tip crediting” scheme (or “tip punishment” scheme) that allows businesses that employ fewer than 500 people to pay workers below the standard minimum wage as long as customer tips make up the difference. The system, part of a decade-old compromise forged during the historic fight for $15, was due to sunset in January, but Ghambari and other small business owners claimed that paying workers more would force them to close stores. 

Now, workers have shifted the paradigm. They won’t let him keep his stores open without the wage increase, and then some. 

A group of employees called the Cherry Street Workers United shut down the Capitol Hill location last month when several workers quit and walked out on Aug 17. They also sent Ghambari a list of demands to repair their damaged relationship. They alleged routine sexual harassment in the stores and demanded that the company adopt a formal anti-harassment policy; they also demanded schedules three weeks in advance, a permanent raise, and notice for major hour reductions and store closures. But Ghambari did not impress his staff with his response. On Thursday, workers met with Ghambari again. They made some progress, workers say, but they declined to provide specifics until Ghambari puts it in writing. 

To keep the pressure on him, Cherry Street Coffee workers didn’t show up to the Belltown and Pioneer Square locations this morning. Instead, the workers, joined by former Council Member Kshama Sawant’s Workers Strike Back, picketed outside of the Westlake location, blocking customers for about an hour before security finally taped up a “Closed Early” sign. 

Michael Pablo, a worker at the Pioneer Square location, told The Stranger that it felt so good to close down the fourth and final store this morning that he could cry. He and his fellow workers hope to meet with Ghambari to continue negotiations soon, this time with their boss more aware of their collective power as workers. 

Ghambari did not respond to my request for comment.

Cherry Street worker Michael Pablo, far from tears. HK

Sawant said she hopes that this action will inspire other workers to shut down their bosses’ profit machines, as profit is the only language they speak. 

Ghambari was not the only boss to speak in favor of the subminimum wage. As many locals know thanks to a semi-viral Reddit post, bosses from Elliot Bay Brewing, Atoma, Lassi & Spice, Veraci Pizza, The Confectional, Moshi Moshi, Anthony’s, Delancey, Dino’s, Rachel’s Bagels and Burritos, Terra Plata, and Queen Anne Beer Hall all came to City Hall to testify. 

Workers already scored a victory when Hollingsworth retracted her bill just a week after introducing it. She decided to continue workshopping the policy behind the scenes. UFCW 3000 Secretary-Treasurer Joe Mizrahi says the City will convene a meeting with both business and labor representatives next week.

“My perspective is this is not a conversation about tip credit because we have no interest in extending that,” Mizrahi said. “It’s a discussion about other ways to support small businesses that don’t involve paying workers less.”

Hollingsworth did not respond to my request for comment, but chances are the slow-going council will not propose a policy before budget negotiations kick off at the end of the month. With a January deadline, the council will probably take up the issue in the final weeks between budget negotiations and their winter break–if at all. 

If workers want to protect the minimum wage, Sawant said they’ll need to keep the momentum going. Workers Strike Back, Restaurant Workers United, and Cherry Street Workers United will host an action conference Sept 15 at 2 pm to discuss next steps for Cherry Street Coffee House workers and to defend the minimum wage for all Seattle workers.