Call-In: Demand Justice for Unfairly Targeted Immigrant Worker at Starbucks!
Submitted on Tue, 08/11/2009 - 3:22am
Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that Aizze was the best barista at the
Snelling & Selby Starbucks in St. Paul, MN. She knew every
regular's drink and could make a latte in 28 seconds. She has 20 MUG
awards for her job performance, and was never written up in her two
years of service, nor was her till ever ‘over’ or ‘short.’ Her
coworkers and customers loved her; they called her 'Aizze' (pronounced
'Ozzie'), short for Azmera. This description is in the past tense
because Starbucks wrongfully fired Aizze on July 8, 2009. Starbucks
management accused her of theft, although they themselves ADMIT that
they have no video or other evidence to support their accusation.
Adding
insult to injury, Saint Paul District Manager Claire Gallagher took
advantage of Aizze’s limited English abilities and bullied and
manipulated her into signing a promissory note saying she would pay
Starbucks the arbitrarily- determined amount of $1200. Acting through
the notoriously anti-worker law firm Olonoff, Asen & Serebro,. LLP,
Starbucks has since sent Aizze a letter threatening to send their
baseless claim to a collections agency.
Azmera is not a
thief. An immigrant from Ethiopia, Azmera has been a citizen of the
U.S. for the past ten years. She has worked at Starbucks for the past
two years. Together with her husband, a Taxi driver, Azmera is the
proud mother of three young children. Aizze is an honest, deeply
religious woman who loves her job and works hard to care for her family.
How did this happen?
On
July 8, 2009, Aizze was told to sit in the back room at the end of her
shift, alone with St. Paul District Manager Claire Gallagher. For
almost two hours, she was not allowed to leave, and no other workers
were allowed to enter. The DM made a conference call with “Partner
& Asset Protection” Manager Chris Vanderhoof and together they
began to interrogate Aizze. When Aizze informed her interrogators that
she did not understand what they were saying, they just repeated the
same words over and over. Aizze was not offered an interpreter. She was
told that if she didn't sign the promissory note, they would call the
police and have her arrested. Thinking of her children, she signed the
paper. Her interrogators told her flatly that they had no proof or
video of her stealing money, yet they accused her of theft. Aizze never
stole. If there was change someone didn’t want from a transaction,
Aizze put it in the tip jar, but she never, ever stole.
Why Aizze?
We
can only speculate on why Aizze was targeted, but one thing is clear:
Starbucks thinks they can get away with victimizing her because she is
an immigrant and a non-native English speaker.
What You Can Do To Help
We
all have a responsibility to stand up for the most vulnerable amongst
us. We will not sit idly by while Starbucks management victimizes one
who has come to this country seeking a better life. We demand immediate
reinstatement, the immediate nullification of the promissory note, and
an apology to Aizze. Justice must be done for Aizze and all workers.
DEMAND JUSTICE, Call:
- Regional Vice President SUMI GOSH at 312-342-8701
- Regional Director DIMITRI HATZIGEORGIOU at 312-731-8909
- St. Paul District Manager CLAIRE GALLAGHER at 651-260-5079