'It’s unconscionable': Adda Coffee and Tea workers rally against Pittsburgh closures

Nearly a week after a local coffee chain abruptly closed all of its locations, former employees, union workers and supportive local politicians gathered Wednesday morning to demand severance pay and criticize ownership.

Adda Coffee & Tea House abruptly closed all four of its locations Jan. 11, claiming it has been running at a loss since the business started in 2016. Adda had four locations within the city of Pittsburgh: Shadyside, Garfield, North Side, and Downtown.

The sudden closure came just hours after workers at Adda had announced their intent to form a union.

With temperatures in single digits, protesters criticized Adda ownership for the closure and for failing to follow through on its commitment to employees. More than 30 people rallied in front of Atithi Studios, an art gallery and space in Sharpsburg. Atithi is owned by Sukanta Nag, who also owned Adda.

During the rally, Tammy Bevilacqua, Adda’s former kitchen manager, said that the closure has put her in a precarious financial situation. She added that Adda workers need severance pay to help get by.

Former Adda employees are asking for a month of severance pay, compensation for their unusued paid time off, and access to the closed Adda stores to retrieve their personal belongings. About 30 workers lost their jobs when Adda closed.

Lt. Gov. Austin Davis attended the rally. He criticized Adda’s owner for closing the shops so soon after workers announced unionization efforts.

Union leaders from United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776 also attended the rally, along with politicians like Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato and state Sens. Lindsey Williams, D-West View, and Jim Brewster, D-McKeesport.

“It’s unconscionable,” said Davis. “We need to make sure the owners recognize the workers are giving adequate severance and they are taken care of, and we are going to continue to stand with workers until they do just that.”

In an email, Nag said financial concerns were the only reason he closed the shops.

“Sadly, we discussed closing several times in the last few years, and we held out hope that we would find a way to make the business work,” wrote Nag. “It was just not feasible.”

He said he will continue to support workers after the closure, but didn’t offer any specifics.

Workers at the rally said they have not heard from Nag and he is not responding to their requests.

Chris Gratsch was employed as a lead barista at Adda for more than three years. He said the workers’ union efforts will continue, and they will keep fighting for their demands.

“This isn’t a story of failure for us,” he said. “Our union is still strong. We’re still going.”