Communist
11th August 2009, 23:33
received forward via email, originally from the IWW (http://www.iww.org/).
> --------------------
> Subject: Call-In: Demand Justice for Unfairly Targeted Immigrant
> Worker at Starbucks!
>http://www.starbucksunion.org/image/view/2151 (http://www.starbucksunion.org/)
> 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
> --------------------
Yours for the One Big Union, IWW
Fellow Worker Steve Ongerth
> --------------------
> Subject: Call-In: Demand Justice for Unfairly Targeted Immigrant
> Worker at Starbucks!
>http://www.starbucksunion.org/image/view/2151 (http://www.starbucksunion.org/)
> 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
> --------------------
Yours for the One Big Union, IWW
Fellow Worker Steve Ongerth