80 members of Congress, including Senator Chuck Schumer, have joined a call to boycott DC restaurants operated by STARR
As diners arrive on the opening night at the revived Babbo in Greenwich Village, they will be greeted by Scabby, a large inflatable rat, and flyers that read: BOYCOTT BABBO. The Babbo boycott is an expansion of a months-long boycott of STARR-operated restaurants in Washington, D.C – Le Diplomate, The Occidental, and Osteria Mozza over the company’s union-busting. The boycott was called by restaurant workers with UNITE HERE Local 25, a D.C.-based hospitality workers’ union. The DC boycott has been endorsed by 80 Senators and members of Congress, including Senator Chuck Schumer, and Reps. Jared Goldman, Jerry Nadler, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Stephan Starr is reviving Babbo years after its closure following allegations of sexual harassment against its previous chef, Mario Batali, when it was under different management. On the decision to keep Babbo’s name, despite these allegations, the New York Times reported:
Mr. Ladner (the new head chef) liked the opportunity but not the name. “I didn’t initially think it was a great idea,” he said. “I thought it was damaged.” Not Mr. Starr. The restaurant was Babbo, and Babbo it would stay.
At Starr’s Pastis restaurant in DC, UNITE HERE Local 25 has heard from two workers who say sexual harassment was a problem at their restaurant. A cook says a supervising chef grabbed her neck from behind and shook her. She said, “let me go, you’re hurting me,” and he laughed. One worker was scheduled to work with the chef for months after reporting him to HR. Feminist groups, including ReproAction and Feminist Majority, have signed a public letter calling on Starr to take a stand against sexual harassment.
“I thought it was tasteless and gross that Stephan Starr chose to keep the Babbo name given the accusations against the chef when it was last open,” said Benjy Cannon, Director of Communications at UNITE HERE Local 25. “We’re asking New Yorkers to stay away.”
In January, supermajorities of workers demanded voluntary recognition at three STARR restaurants in D.C.: St. Anselm, Pastis, and Le Diplomate. These workers hoped that restaurant owners would follow the example of José Andrés, who voluntarily recognized the workers’ union at The Bazaar just days after they announced their campaign. STARR refused and instead resorted to classic union-busting tactics that workers say should have no place in D.C. restaurants. Workers have reported that the company offered raises in exchange for campaigning against the union, threatened workers, and hired outside anti-union “persuaders” to campaign against the union.
On February 21st, workers at St. Anselm voted to join Local 25. Instead of recognizing the result of the election, STARR Restaurants filed objections – joining Amazon in claiming that the NLRB lacks authority to certify union elections when there is not a quorum of NLRB members. There was not a quorum because Trump fired a member of the labor board in January. STARR also petitioned the NLRB’s Regional Office to cancel the union election at Le Diplomate scheduled for March.
Between STARR’s objection to the election at St. Anselm where workers won the union, its interference in the Pastis election, and the cancellation of the election at Le Diplomate, it’s clear that STARR does not respect free and fair NLRB elections.
UNITE HERE is a labor union that represents 300,000 working people across Canada and the United States. Our members work in the hotel, gaming, food service, manufacturing, textile, distribution, laundry, transportation, and airport industries. Our membership is diverse. We are predominantly women and people of color, and we hail from all corners of the planet.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251006232766/en/
As diners arrive on the opening night at the revived Babbo in Greenwich Village, they will be greeted by Scabby, a large inflatable rat, and flyers that read: BOYCOTT BABBO.
Contacts
Media Contact: Benjy Cannon; bcannon@local25now.org; 202-714-1567