A small Seattle-based coffee chain, Cherry Street Coffee, has closed its Capitol Hill location following an ongoing labor dispute involving its workers, supported by former Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant.
Owner Ali Ghambari confirmed that he has scrapped plans to reopen the E Pine café and is now seeking a new tenant to take over the lease. The decision comes after a labor strike by Cherry Street employees, demanding better wages, improved workplace conditions, and an end to what they allege was Ghambari’s support for rolling back Seattle’s minimum wage law.
Last month, workers at Cherry Street Coffee, alongside Sawant, staged a one-day strike across the company’s four locations. Their demands included “a living wage, an end to workplace sexual harassment,” and criticism of Ghambari’s alleged lobbying to undo parts of Seattle’s historic minimum wage victory, a law crafted by Sawant during her time on the council.
The strike was triggered by Ghambari’s testimony before the City Council regarding new proposals to amend the minimum wage law. These changes are aimed at benefiting small businesses, including extending a tip credit system that will soon expire. Sawant and her supporters were particularly outraged by Ghambari’s stance, which they saw as a threat to workers’ rights.
Joy Hollingsworth, the current District 3 Councilmember who succeeded Sawant, has been working to gather more feedback before moving forward with her proposal. The legislation would introduce a permanent tip credit for small businesses, adjusting the rate at which inflation increases wages for these companies.
As for Cherry Street Coffee’s future, Ghambari has not commented on whether the closure will affect the chain’s other three Seattle locations, which remain open following the strike. The Capitol Hill café at 320 E Pine has since been cleared out, and a “for lease” sign now hangs in the window.
The closure of this location marks a significant moment in an ongoing debate over workers’ rights and the future of Seattle’s minimum wage law.