Common Roots Cafe Closes, One Week After Owner Finds Out About Employee Plans to Unionize

South Minneapolis staple, Common Roots Cafe, will be closed effective immediately. The announcement was made earlier this week by owner Danny Schwartzman via a Facebook post.

In a long message on the business page, Schwartzman explained that pandemic-related financial losses left the Lyndale Avenue cafe unable to bring in a profit.

However, he also mentioned that a week ago he was told by UNITE HERE Local 17 that his team was interested in unionizing.

The post details Schwartzman’s decision to close after 15 years and thanks staff, vendors, and patrons.

When speaking of his team’s possible unionizing, the owner states, “Part of my goal with the cafe has been transparency and openness. With that in mind, I want to share that last week I was informed by UNITE HERE local 17 staff that a majority of my staff wanted to unionize. Let me be extra clear — I fully support the labor movement and would have loved being able to run a union business. It would make the business even more of a positive representation of my values. Providing a good place to work and advocating for policies that make those practices more available everywhere has been central to my vision for the cafe since day one.”

Unfortunately, staff was given almost no notice of the businesses closure, leaving them abruptly out of work.

People who have gift cards to Common Roots can purchase dry goods and retail items with them or exchange them for cash value.

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