Just one week after the staff at the OCF Coffee House informed the owner of their intention to unionize, he confirmed he would be closing all three locations down.
This from survivethenews.com.
Yes, owner and real estate developer Ori Feibush stated the business was already losing money. The added expenses associated with trying to meet the workers’ request precluded continued operation.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported:
Feibush, who met with available staff in person Monday afternoon, called the shutdown a difficult decision, citing rising costs, reduced sales, and the expiration of leases for a business that he said was never profitable during its 13 years.
He wrote in an email announcing the decision to staff who did not attend Monday’s meeting:
But we pushed forward because we understood the positive impact we were making in our communities and the importance to maintain a level of compensation and benefits … that you each deserved.
Further:
Combined with financial and logistical headwinds, however, the administrative and legal costs associated with your desire to organize has regrettably moved us beyond any cost that we could sustain.
According to Feibush, the business was already losing money. However, employees were already earning $20 to $25 an hour in wages as well as tips and health and dental benefits. Some will even receive severance pay.
Speaking to the Inquirer, baristas Alex Simpson and Ava Alabiso said they were shocked by the decision.
Alabiso said:
This does feel like retaliation. It’s all just so incredibly sudden.
We’re all just in the lurch trying to figure out what to do.
Simpson added:
There was some talk of shutting down, but we genuinely believed that our connections with the community, especially in Fairmount, are so strong that he wouldn’t do it—we’re where people get their drinks and their lunch and have meetings every single day.
It is never nice seeing people lose their livelihoods. However, until leftists get a basic understanding of how the economy works, such needless job losses will continue to take place.
