Left-wing workers at coffee shop decide to unionize, all 3 shops close a week later — then wokeness goes on full display

Just one week after left-wing employees of a Philadelphia coffee shop decided to unionize, all three of the shop's locations closed down — and then the employees actually staged a protest against the closures.

More than 30 former employees of the OCF Coffee House shops were out in force Tuesday outside one of the shuttered locations, WPVI-TV reported.

'Didn't even know what we were asking for before he decided to shut down all three stores, leaving us completely in the lurch through an email.'

Some told the station the abrupt closures were due to the former employees' announcement a week prior that they intended to unionize and join Workers United Local 80.

"We wanted better pay and stability and part-time health benefits, not only full-time," former employee Stephanie Slaughter told WPVI.

Video showed the out-of-work folks holding signs and shouting chants on the sidewalk; the object of their displeasure was owner Ori Feibush, the station said.

"Ori, Ori, you can't hide! We all see your greedy side!" one of the chants rang out.

Last Monday afternoon, employees got an email stating that all three shops were closed effective immediately, WPVI reported.

Feibush in a letter to employees and patrons said increasing costs and decreasing sales sparked the decision to close down after 13 years in business, the station reported.

He also pointed to administrative and legal costs in connection with the staff's desire to organize, WPVI added.

"Very, very disheartening. We didn't even get to start the bargaining process," former employee Ava Alabiso told the station. "Didn't even know what we were asking for before he decided to shut down all three stores, leaving us completely in the lurch through an email."

OCF Coffee House told WPVI it will continue to provide health, vision, and dental benefits to employees for the next three months, but former employees are pushing for severance pay as well.

How are observers reacting?

A number of observers on X aren't exhibiting a lot of sympathy for the former employees:

• "Instead of protesting the closure, they should be job searching," one commenter said.
• "Unionizing a job you can train high school students to do in a week is always a bad idea," another user noted.
• "I don’t understand ... protesting a store closure? What are they expecting to accomplish with this? Hoping for the owners to change their minds and go broke paying your new wages?" another commenter asked.

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