Firing leads to protest at St. Paul Starbucks

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.startribune.com/local/north/53307332.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

In a post about this last week, we learned Aizze has been a legal immigrant for 10 years.

Customers, union workers and former co-workers rallied for an ex-Starbucks employee they say has been unjustly fired for theft.

By PAUL LEVY, Star Tribune

Last update: August 15, 2009 - 7:12 PM

When supervisors summoned Azmera Mehrbatu last month, the barista affectionately known as Aizze to regulars at Starbucks at Snelling and Selby in St. Paul assumed she had won an award -- as she had 20 other times in two years at the coffee shop.

Instead, the mother of three -- an Ethiopian immigrant who speaks limited English -- says she was fired. Mehrbatu, 34, says she was accused of theft but presented with no evidence, and was told to sign a promissory note saying she would pay Starbucks $1,200, or supervisors would call the police and have her arrested.

As about three dozen baristas, union members and customers picketed the Starbucks on Saturday in support of Mehrbatu, the woman who knew every regular's drink and could make a latte in 28 seconds was trying to make sense of a case that co-workers say smacks of racism.

FULL story at link.