Gorilla Coffee Workers Aren’t Coming Back

[Q3JR4]

Don't know if this goes here, but I figured it's as good a place as any.

Gorilla Coffee, a Park Slope, Brooklyn, favorite, remained closed for a second day Sunday after almost the entire staff resigned. The owners say it isn’t going to reopen soon.

According to an e-mail message sent by the former staff, the baristas quit because of what they call a “perpetually malicious, hostile, and demeaning work environment” under Carol McLaughlin, one of the two owners, and demanded that she withdraw from daily operations at the coffee bar.

When both owners refused, seven baristas quit. (Another barista resigned, but the owners say that person wasn’t an employee.)

<snip>

The owners say the confrontation was unexpected. “It’s a complete surprise,” Darleen Scherer, one of the owners, said over the phone. “They made an unreasonable request, and then they didn’t have any way to go but out.”

<snip>

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/gorilla-coffee-workers-arent-coming-back/">more

When are business owners going to realize that you can't have a business if you push ALL of your employees to quit? Furthermore with the employees quitting the way they did in the current economy I don't know if I believe the spin from the shop owners....


Your thoughts?

Q3JR4

[Warpy]

1. It sounds like Carol McLaughlin should have taken the hint

If all your employees band together and say they can't work with someone, it's time to take a very close look at what that someone is doing, even if that someone is an owner.

The baristas are incredibly brave, quitting in this job environment. The conditions must have been appalling. I think there will likely be a lawsuit if they were as bad as I think they were.

Psychopaths should be silent partners, only, in other words.

[Xipe Totec]

2. I won't back down

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IJw9jid5Yk

[Q3JR4]

3. I think it says something that the

workers didn't use their jobs as a bargaining chip. They all just up and walked out.

I hope this gets reported far and wide.

Q3JR4.

[Enrique]

4. impressive that they stuck together

next time the owners will make sure to pit the workers against each other.

[Omaha Steve]

5. Strange thing is Gorilla Coffee uses fair trade but doesn't care about it's own employees

Covered the first story here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=367x26010

Thank you for the follow up!

[Q3JR4]

6. This is definitely one to follow. n/t

Q3JR4