by Assunta Ng
Northwest Asia Weekly
Starbucks employee Mari Cosgrove holds two protest signs. (Photo by Assunta Ng)
About 30 Starbucks employees picketed outside the Union Station store on July 18 to protest its closure in Chinatown. Starbucks earlier this month announced the closure of six stores in the Puget Sound area due to crime-related complaints.
The Chinatown-International District (CID) store closed on July 12th instead of the announced closing date of July 31st. Will the store temporarily close? What will be the fate of that store?
One customer actually cried when she heard the news, according to Mari Cosgrove, one of the 15 employees who worked at the store for four years.
“I had to explain to my regulars (clients) that we were closing. One of them was crying. They missed me and gave me hugs. It was really hard.”
Cosgrove said that when she and her colleagues heard about the shutdown at a virtual meeting on July 11, they were shocked. The next day, employees came to work only to find the store closed. Outside the door, there is a sign, “Our store is temporarily closed…”
Starbucks employees picket to attract supporters. (Photo by Assunta Ng)
Erin Bray, head of CID Starbucks, also cried in an interview with Asia Weekly. She said she has never felt unsafe at work in the past three years.
Bray said it was “ironic” for Starbucks to say it was unsafe. “Vulcan’s (the property management company) has three or four security guards.
Cosgrove also wondered if safety was the reason for the store’s closure. The reason, she said, was “alliance.” Both Chinatown and Olive Way stores voted to unionize and are on the list of stores to close.
“We were certified on May 27,” she added.
Howard Schultz is known to be a progressive leader, Starbucks and interim CEO whose company has donated millions to communities of color. It has also invested heavily in revitalizing disadvantaged communities. When NBA players Erwin “Magic” Johnson and Schultz formed a partnership, they opened their first store in 1997 at 23rd Avenue and South Jackson Street in Central Seattle. I am present.
Security guards are stationed outside a Union Station Starbucks during picketing. (Photo by Assunta Ng)
“Will there be a Starbucks in Chinatown?” I wondered. When we heard that Starbucks would be opening a CID location, many community members were excited.
Starbucks has been in the CID since 2000. The CID store is over 2,000 square feet in a prime location on the corner of the entrance to both stadiums via a bridge.
But Schultz was obsessed with destroying unions. According to CNN, Schultz “has been working hard to dissuade workers from unionizing, even asking them to avoid unions before he officially returned to the company as CEO.” Starbucks employees receive generous benefits. However, no matter what he does, “unionization is only growing”.
Reason for closing
“We’re doing well (financially),” Cosgrove said. “We’re one of the busiest stores. Currently, we’re serving about 120 people within an hour of our busiest times, like game days,” Cosgrove said. “In the morning, we miss about 300 customers who can’t get their morning coffee.”
“Starbucks is closing stores in marginalized communities,” Cosgrove said. “We want to see the community put pressure on Starbucks to reopen. I love working at the store.” She said she also loves working at CID.
Starbucks said it was closing the store due to safety concerns. “There were no safety issues in the store…I never felt unsafe (working in the store),” Cosgrove said.
Cosgrove said the problem came in early 2020, when masks became mandatory. She said it was less of a safety issue and more of “not following the rules” because some people who refused to wear masks were yelling.
“It was rude,” she said. “It’s not a good idea to close a store because of (customer’s) rude behaviour.”
Some people need food and need a referral to a food bank. Cosgrove has reported these issues and sought assistance from the corporate office.
Bray said her store has reached out to community resource officers and Starbucks employees dealing with the issues, but has never received any. She wants “the help of the community to keep us open.” That’s why she voted for the union, “We stand together. We want our voices to be heard.”
“We’re doing well financially, we’re doing well in the community,” Cosgrove said. We want to remain in the CID. I want to keep working here. At the same time, employees at Starbucks CID are in trouble.
Starbucks’ response
“These closures are the result of conversations we’ve had over the past few months following Howard Schultz’s return as CEO,” a Starbucks spokesman said in response to an inquiry from AsiaWeek.
He requested anonymity and said Starbucks has been receiving concerns from employees, partners and employees about persistent safety issues over the past few months.
“They felt challenged to provide a safe and welcoming environment.” The company “considered different factors and decided that in these particular circumstances, the best course of action was” … to close the stores.
While baristas told AsiaWeek that they were not getting help from Starbucks in addressing mental health and homelessness, the spokesperson said Starbucks has been working with various groups on these issues for months.
“It will be permanently closed until July 31,” he said. Will it reopen? He reiterated that even if Starbucks had a few years left on its lease, it would be “closed permanently.”
CID during COVID
Compared to other communities, CID has been hurt the most during the pandemic. The community is stigmatized and traumatized. On May 29, 2020, the first Black Lives Matter protest in Washington state was held at CID. Afterwards, the splinter group disrupted and destroyed the CID. Invasion is dangerous, I have nothing to say.
About 200 stores were blocked overnight. For months it turned into a ghost town, with most businesses locked down for more than a year. Elderly residents are afraid to walk out of their apartments and have to have groceries delivered to them. The fire department and social workers teamed up to get vaccinated at home.
Due to anti-Asian hate crime news, some community members are reluctant to dine and shop at CID. Recovery took much longer than other communities.
The recovery process for CID has been slowly picking up. However, the news of Starbucks closing did not inspire confidence. It will have a knock-on effect that will drive away potential visitors and investors in our community. While CID does have a public safety issue, Mayor Bruce Harrell is working to address it. Progress has been made. Police patrol the CID more frequently. The Union Station building, where Starbucks is located, is well managed by Vulcan. Its security is always there. Whatever the real reason for Starbucks closing CID stores, think twice. Don’t give up on CIDs.
Starbucks’ impact on CID
Whatever the reason for Starbucks closing, CID is the loser. When a Fortune 500 company abandons our community, what does it mean for our community?
The once bustling corner of CID, welcoming locals and tourists, rich and poor, young and old, is now deserted for I don’t know how long. All the hard work Starbucks has made for 22 years now goes to waste like the rest of the coffee.
Now, during the pandemic, CID has added another empty storefront to its list of dead businesses. Every business that closes or moves is a reminder of how challenging it can be to bring in new businesses to our community. How long will we have to wait for fresh blood to come in and build up again?
Starbucks has always been a stabilizing force in the community. I’ve seen restaurateurs and workers sitting outside Starbucks enjoying morning Joes before their shifts. For some, Starbucks offers them the only rest of the day. This is also where the romance begins. A friend of mine used CID Starbucks as her first meeting place for online dating and after a few tries, she did meet the love of her life there. This is also the store where I close several business deals and interview political candidates for support.
There is a Chinese proverb, “You die and I die”. Like its coffee stuck in the grinder, tensions between the union and Starbucks will only grow, with neither side seeing a way out.
Mr. Schultz, must this be the case between you and your employees and the union! ? Part of your legacy is identifying weak communities and building them into strong ones. You did this for CID and many others. Thank you. Don’t defile your legacy.
Now is not the time to turn our backs on us. CIDs are vulnerable and your support is needed now more than ever.
Assunta can reach assunta@nwasianweekly.com.
