Saxbys on 40th and Locust streets on Jan. 14.
Credit: Chenyao LiuSaxbys employees at the 40th and Locust streets location staged a “march on the boss” on Tuesday, alleging that the store’s operating hours changed without adequate notice.
Several workers — both on and off shift — delivered a collectively written letter to two members of Saxbys upper management present at the location on April 15. The demonstration came as the coffee shop reduced its hours this week, eliminating weekend operations at the Penn campus staple ahead of its official closure in early May.
“As the team members who run this Saxbys, we were not informed of a closure date until this Sunday, April 13th,” employees wrote in the letter that was read aloud Tuesday. “In a brief message, our manager told us we would be closing on May 2nd. This date negates weeks of verbal reassurance that we would be open until the UPenn semester was finished.”
According to the letter, though team members had asked to be notified of changes to available hours prior to schedule releases, they were “repeatedly ignored.”
“For notoriously busy days where management knew ahead of time that we were to be left with very little coverage, few people, if anyone, was informed or asked to come in, and management left team members understaffed,” the letter read.
Saxbys management did not respond to a request for comment.
On March 17, employees delivered their first letter to management, demanding that Saxbys comply with Philadelphia’s paid sick leave law, which the employees are alleging the company has routinely violated by writing up and terminating employees for using paid sick leave.
A Saxbys employee — who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation by management — said that when the first letter was delivered, management “just kind of ignored it.”
Letters from both the first and second march on the boss cited Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act, differentiating the “march on the boss” tactic from a walkout.
“If we were to actually walk out off of shift, that would technically start a strike,” the Saxbys employee said. “What we did is federally protected concerted activity. The National Labor Relations Act, Section 7, grants you the right that two or more of your coworkers are able to express demands and grievances to your management. Colloquially, it’s called a ‘march on the boss.’”
The April 15 demonstration centered around three demands. Workers asked management for the ability to complete their final weeks at Saxbys “without unnecessary and stressful working conditions,” for there to be no more changes to operating hours, and for Saxbys’ no-tolerance lateness policy to be abolished for the remainder of the store’s operation.
Another Saxbys worker — who also requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation by management — said that if workers are penalized or fired before May 2, they could lose eligibility for severance pay — a benefit the union has actively “fought for.”
“Because our last demand letter was all basically ignored and kind of exacerbated, we all wanted to have our voices heard,” the worker said. “Especially with the closure announced, we thought we didn’t have anything to lose.”
The letter also emphasized what workers described as a culture of “intimidation.” Both employees who spoke with The Daily Pennsylvanian said that shifts were frequently filled by people from headquarters without consulting local employees or asking them to cover shift.
In January, it was announced that Saxbys would close in May as Penn Dental Medicine is set to transform the space as part of an expansion driven by the 2021 opening of the Care Center for Persons with Disabilities and the school’s longstanding plans to enhance sedation services, according to a Penn Dental spokesperson.
This expansion will be supported by capital funding and fundraising efforts scheduled for the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years.
In December 2024, Saxbys workers announced plans to join Workers United Local 80 — a Philadelphia-based chapter of Workers United that primarily supports local baristas.
The letter from employees stated that they hope for a response from management by April 18.
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