Staff will suffer from Stella’s boycott, sympathetic lunch customers say By: Ashley Prest Posted: 7:00 PM CST Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018

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This article was published 12/11/2018 (2189 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Support Stella’s staff. Don’t boycott the restaurants.

That was the general feeling among the lunch crowd at the Portage Avenue and Memorial Boulevard location of the popular local restaurant chain Tuesday afternoon regarding last week’s flood of allegations from former and current employees about misconduct ranging from labour violations to sexual harassment and assault.

A litany of complaints and experiences have been posted to an Instagram account called @notmystellas.

As customers filed in and out — some headed back to work and others hurrying to University of Winnipeg classes — the few who stopped for a moment said former employees who’ve been affected need support, but those still working at the restaurant’s seven Winnipeg locations need to make a living.

“It’s good that we are all aware that this has been happening in Winnipeg, but the reason I am not boycotting it is I know that the people who work here are the ones who are going to get hurt (if business declines),” said Ahmed Barkat, 27, a U of W student, adding he goes to Stella’s every day.

“We’ve talked a lot about it online and those that are paid salaries, the managers, they’re going to be fine. The people who are going to get hurt are the ones who are going to get their shifts cut. I used to work based on shifts, and the worst thing that can happen to you is to have your shifts cut without you asking. You base your spending on how much work you’re going to get.”

The Instagram account — which has shared hundreds of personal stories — is being run by 12 current and former employees who have been involved in organizing a campaign against Stella’s business practices. There has been a torrent of accusations on the account and in media reports asserting the company has been engaging in labour and human-rights violations for years.

Retiree Alvina Koshy said Tuesday she was “really shocked,” and wants to see the restaurant chain protect its workers.

“The staff are so excellent. You couldn’t go to a place with friendlier service or greater food, so it definitely never occurred to me that there could be problems. I never saw anybody being rude to anybody,” said Koshy, who said she meets a friend for lunch regularly at Stella’s and will continue to do so.

“I really like Stella’s food; we always bring it in for birthday parties. If these things are going on, I would certainly hope that they will change their policies to make differences and to talk to the people involved. If there’s harassment going on in the kitchen, they need to be changing it.”

Barkat said Stella’s patrons can still show their support and solidarity for the workers who have been allegedly harassed and, at the same time, ensure current employees can keep up their shifts and earn their living.

“There’s a way to punish and to send a strong message but not by punishing the people who are mostly university students who are trying to make ends meet,” he said.

“You send a letter, you voice your concern, you make sure that you are with the people who are working in the front line but not with the management, not with the managers.”

Barkat said he supports what Stella’s owners, Tore Sohlberg and Lehla Abreder, have done so far by placing CEO Grant Anderson and regional manager Brad Burrows on indefinite leaves of absence as of Monday.

“It’s a starting point… putting them on leave is good but you have to do more than that and make sure there’s a clear way to report harassment (in the future). (The owners) have to talk to the people on the front lines, they have to help them, they have to listen to them,” he said.

“I’m sure many of them are disappointed that this is what’s going on in their workplace…. It shouldn’t end here. It should go on to include more steps.”

Jess, 19, who did not want her last name published, said she’s been working as a server in other restaurants since she was 15 and said the culture within restaurant management needs to be changed.

“It’s sketchy right now. It’s business where you usually don’t get breaks and go a 16-hour shift,” she said. “I’ve been sexually harassed on the job, too, and he didn’t even get talked to. There definitely needs to be some repercussions, but that’s why a lot of servers don’t say anything. It’s harder to find cooks.”

In a letter sent Monday to staff and to media, Stella’s owners also announced that People First HR Consultants has been hired to investigate all complaints and to develop better respectful workplace training and policy. The letter said that Stella’s staff and managers are to direct complaints and concerns through a confidential process.

The group behind the Instagram account has alleged that the working conditions at Stella’s were so abusive that the owners should pay for mental-health services for current and former employees in need.

In response, Stella’s owners suggested employees struggling with mental-health concerns should seek free treatment at Klinic Community Health Centre.

“Nobody should be insulted or treated badly on the job,” said Dan, 20, who declined to give his last name.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca