Months After Union Agreement, Homegrown Announces Store Closures and Layoffs
By Madeline Virginia
A megaphone at the Union of Homegrown Workers press conference on July 25, 2024. Photo by Madeline Virginia.
On July 18th, Homegrown Partners LLC filed a notice with the U.S. Department of Labor and Training reporting the closure of 10 stores and an end to 158 jobs. Two locations in Redmond, Washington will be permanently closing on September 15th: Downtown Redmond and the Microsoft Cafeteria location in Building 6.
In a statement, The Homegrown Group Co-Founder and CEO Brad Gillis said, “Like other restaurants across the country, economic impacts, including rising labor costs and food prices, have created an unsustainable model for keeping all our locations in business.”
Homegrown sandwich shop in Downtown Redmond on Cleveland St. and Leary Way. Photo by Jason Miller.
Earlier this year in April, the Homegrown sandwich shop on Cleveland and Leary was the center of a 119-day strike, which culminated in a completed union contract for workers at 10 locations. The benefits of the finished contract included higher wages, health care, and heat pay.
Less than three months after their successful negotiations, employees received an email from Gillis notifying them of the layoffs and store closures. Redmond Moments obtained a copy of the email from July 18th, in which Gillis says:
We recognize the significant impact that this will have on our valued employees, and we cannot express enough how grateful we are for your service to our customers and upholding our mission. This decision was not made lightly, and our hearts truly go out to our team members impacted.
Impacted locations that will close as of September 15, 2024, include:
· Homegrown (Capitol Hill) - 1531 Melrose Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
· Homegrown (Queen Anne) - 2201 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA 98119
· Homegrown (South Lake Union) - 208 Westlake Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
· Homegrown (Redmond) - 7841 Leary Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052
· Homegrown (Microsoft, Building 6) - 15745 NE 36th St Building 6, Redmond, WA 98052
· Homegrown (Southcenter Mall) - 2800 Southcenter Mall, Tukwila, WA 98188
· Hap's Burgers & Taps (Mercer Island) - 2411 76th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040
· Wonderbowl (Bellevue) - 500 Bellevue Way NE 2nd Floor, Bellevue, WA 98004
· Homegrown (Kirkland) - 104 Lake St, Kirkland, WA 98033
· Homegrown (University Village) - 2650 NE Village Lane St. Suite 24B, Seattle, WA 98105
The following location is permanently laying off 4 employees.
· Homegrown (Corporate Office) – 3405 Lind Ave S. Renton, WA 98057
Clio Jensen speaks at the Union of Homegrown Workers press conference on July 25, 2024. Photo by Madeline Virginia.
The Union of Homegrown Workers responded with a press conference outside the Homegrown Partners corporate offices in Renton.
“We’re going to call this what is is: union busting,” says Clio Jensen. “Our CEO Brad Gillis is throwing us all under the bus because he wants to make some more profit.”
The Homegrown website and social media platforms remain active, but have not mentioned the store closures. The Union of Homegrown Workers says that their next step is to attempt to negotiate severance for the 158 laid off employees.
