Outside the locked doors of the Lakewood location of Rising Star, a popular Cleveland-based coffee chain, a frustrated customer uselessly tugged on the handle before spinning on their heels and walking away.
It's the fourth day the cafe has been closed after Lakewood police responded Sunday to a line of hundreds of customers spilling out the doors and winding down Madison Avenue just minutes before the shop closed under temporarily reduced hours.
Owners called the gathering a "mob" in a social media post. Employees, some of whom have since been fired in what they call illegal retaliation, characterize a much different scene: one they say was a show of community support for organizing a union.
"The whole goal was just to serve coffee to people," said Clay Reid, a member of the Rising Star Workers Union who was working as a barista that day. He and his coworkers encouraged the flood of customers to the shop, and he has since been fired. "We are all kind of enamored by that. We were not expecting the amount of love that we got ... But [the owners] called the cops, and they pushed everyone out."
Rising Star was founded in 2012. Founder Kim Jenkins sold the chain in 2020 to three employees, Dawn Fox, Bruno Green and Brandon Riggs, and one investor, Cristo Kallas. In addition to the Lakewood shop, there are locations in Cleveland Heights, Hingetown, Tremont, Downtown and Van Aken Market Hall in Shaker Heights, as well as a roastery.
How it all started
Reid, who worked as a barista for four years at the shop, was one of eight employees who last month signed a letter to owners demanding better working conditions after two employees sought medical attention in June for carbon monoxide exposure after a shift. Rising Star owners told Ideastream Public Media in a written statement they were also "very upset" about the incident and that staff was exposed from a third party contractor working in the unit above the cafe. They said the nonworking detector was replaced after the employees were sent home.
"We want to acknowledge that while we responded to and resolved the issue quickly, we could have handled the situation more skillfully," the owners wrote. "We learned from this situation in our constant effort to improve."
But Reid said that was just a catalyst for long-standing employee frustration and fear of retaliation from owners, which came to a head when the employees presented a list of demands in July.
Those demands included the following:
- An exterminator to address what they say has been a years-long rodent problem at the shop
- The ability for employees to leave the building if they feel there are physically unsafe working conditions, such as construction fumes, rodent waste, electrical fires and carbon monoxide, without fear of retaliation
- In the event of a customer complaint, a committee of owners and involved employees review the issue before any form of 'wrongful retaliation,' such as immediate termination or altered scheduling
- Working equipment
Rising Star owners told Ideastream the rodent problem was the only item that had not already been resolved prior to receiving the letter, after which, they contracted a new exterminator to complete work.
"Staff has never been told that they must remain on the premises if they feel unsafe or face retaliation. Except for the rodent waste, the unsafe work conditions described under this point were one time incidents that were resolved quickly at the time they occurred, emergencies of that caliber are not characteristic of the cafe environment," owners said.
The owners said the letter's authors refused to speak to them at the July 21 meeting. Reid confirmed: he said the employees told owners everything they had to say was in the letter.
"We were not sure what else we could do if they were unwilling to communicate with us," the owners wrote.
The employees continued efforts to form a union.
They launched an Instagram page — @risingstarworkersunion — at the end of July, which quickly gained thousands of followers pledging their support.
Baristas asked the community to show their support, not by boycotting, but by instead continuing to patronize the shop.
"This is a low-wage, tip-based job. If we did a boycott, we wouldn't be able to work here anymore," Reid said. "We need people to come in and tip, buy drinks and support us through this hell the owners are putting us through right now."
Reid said staring pay is about $12 an hour, but tips bring employee wages closer to $19-21 an hour.
The owners said they also offer paid time off, an IRA match, discounts, scheduling flexibility and healthcare for full-time staff.
Days after the Instagram page launched, ownership told staff they would be closing the shop early at 1 p.m. on Aug. 2 and 3. Reid said they were not given a reason, but he said he expected it had to do with dissatisfaction with the union organizing. In an Aug. 3 social media post, owners denied that the reduced hours had to do with the unionizing efforts. They told Ideastream the hours were shortened because of reports from a new employee about harassment and belittlement by at least two employees.
"We did not inform the staff of this reason in an attempt to shield that employee from retaliation and further harassment," owners wrote. "We do not tolerate further harassment or retaliation."
Reid also said they had fired one of the letter's authors and assistant manager, Allie Jeswald. The same group sent a letter demanding Jeswald be reinstated, citing "a clear violation of the National Labor Relations Act, which prohibits employers from retaliating against employees for engaging in protected concerted activities, including union organizing."
"This had nothing to do with retaliation or union busting, we’ve made our reasons for terminating Allie Jeswald public in our recent statements and continue to stand by them," owners said.
Jeswald has not been reinstated.
Union organizers call a "Sip-in." Owners call the police
After owners announced the reduced hours over the weekend in a social media post, in which they said they would pay employees for their full scheduled shifts, the Rising Star Workers Union began organizing an event and called their social media supporters to action that Sunday, Aug. 3.
They dubbed it a "sip in," a play on the term "sit in," which refers to occupying a place as a form of protest. They asked the public to show up at 12:45 p.m. — just 15 minutes before the shop was supposed to close Sunday — with the intention of keeping the shop open.
Reid said more than 200 people showed up. He and his coworker continued to take and fill orders, even after he said two people, who he believed were employees at other Rising Star locations sent by the owners, showed up and asked them to stop taking orders and close. Reid and his coworker refused and continued to take orders.
Owners confirmed they did send those two employees, calling the move "necessary" to safely close in response to the planned sip in.
In a social media post, the owners described a "very large crowd" gathering at the store while employees "actively refused" to close. They said they called the police in response to the size of the crowd and "aggressive" actions. Owners told Ideastream they considered the sheer size of the crowd intimidating for staff who did not request the protest, and they said managers were screamed at for attempting to close the store.
"Many of the protesters were taunting, name-calling, and belittling our managers who were present," they said. "Once the door was closed the crowd remained outside chanting and banging on the glass."
Reid said calling the crowd aggressive is a mischaracterization.
"These people aren't coming in here and stealing," Reid said. "They're waiting in line, coming in here and buying your product."
Owners also said some employees and "third parties" actively obstructed the team from closing the cafe, entering "restricted areas" and blocking the team from police. Reid said he did not see any non-employee go behind the bar or enter employee-only areas.
When Lakewood police officers arrived on scene, they informed the employees and customers they were trespassing and began ushering them out of the store.
"If our employees choose to join or not join a union, that is their choice," owners wrote in an Aug. 3 social media post. "But that is not what happened today. There is no place for harassment in our cafe. There is no place for hate or intimidation. No one should feel intimidated when coming to a coffee shop or for trying to do their job."
Reid and the other barista working that day were immediately fired and banned from all Rising Star locations. Other baristas who were present were also indefinitely suspended and banned, he said, pending an investigation.
That same day, owners announced a closure "until further notice." The page administrators turned off comments on their Facebook and Instagram posts.
On Monday, a day after the sip in, Reid and other suspended and fired employees sat outside the shuttered doors with coffee travelers and paper cups, giving out free coffee for disappointed would-be customers and telling them about their unionizing efforts.
As Lakewood customers and shop employees wait for the shop to reopen, Reid said the Rising Star Worker's Union is demanding immediate reinstatement for employees they say were wrongfully and illegally fired.
They are also continuing their anti-boycott messaging for the rest of the shops, and he said they are already in touch with the five other cafe locations and the roastery about joining their union efforts.
"We love working there," Reid said. "It is a wonderful job in a lot of ways. ... We just need to stand up for ourselves when we're being faced with such retaliatory, vindictive owners."
Rising Star owners told Ideastream they plan to reopen the Lakewood location, but they are currently low on staff as they investigate the reports of harassment.
