Bikini baristas in Washington are celebrating a judge’s decision after winning a drawn-out wage-theft case against the owner of Beehive Espresso.
A King County Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the 70 workers, awarding more than $1.85 million in unpaid wages and damages.
Baristas said they were expected to turn in their tips and wages to meet sales goals, or risk losing hours or being fired altogether.
In her ruling, Judge Cindi Port found that Beehive Espresso owner Alan Tagle “accepted the benefit of baristas’ work without paying for it.”
According to the lawsuit, baristas often worked alone, making it difficult to compare experiences or identify patterns of misconduct.
Eilish Hoffman, a former Beehive Espresso employee, said overcoming that isolation was one of the biggest challenges workers faced.
“Because baristas work most shifts alone, we do not always know whether what is happening to us is happening to coworkers,” Hoffman said. “Breaking through that isolation and building trust was one of the first big barriers we had to overcome in order to join together for what we were rightfully owed.”
Hoffman said workers used social media to share experiences and connect with one another despite concerns about retaliation.
“Coming together with my coworkers to fight in court and win has shown me that there is power in unity,” Hoffman said. “The bad guys don’t always win, and there is hope out there for people working in any industry.”
The lawsuit states that Tagle sent a text to another employer, warning them against allowing baristas to take shifts at other stands because it “prevents me from having the control I need over them…Normally girls are not shared because it empowers them, they won’t listen because they can just go to the other stand.”
Working Washington Rights Center, which helped bring the lawsuit together, said it hopes this victory inspires other workers to fight together for what they deserve in the industry and beyond.
KIRO 7 News reached out to Tagle about the ruling and as of this reporting has not heard back.
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