A sign posted at Hot Topic, an edgy youth retailer at Apache Mall, suggests that workers there staged a walkout some time Thursday or Friday over low wages. The closure underscored how endemic the problem has become for businesses. As in other communities, Rochester is also flooded with signs and banners from businesses desperate to hire.
"Almost all of our staff waked 'sic' out due to the inability of the Hot Topic Company to support and give a living wage," said the sign, which was posted on the Facebook page Spotted in Rochester. "We cannot support ourselves and our families. We have worked so hard and cannot do this any longer.
"You cannot pay your workers in passion," it continued. "Sorry for the inconvenience."
By Saturday morning, the sign had been replaced by a different one. It read simply: "Temporarily Closed. We apologize for the inconvenience."
A call to Hot Topic management has yet to be returned.
Elle Driskell Felts, a former manager and keyholder at Hot Topic, left the company early last October after working there for a year. Serving as spokesperson for the employees who walked off the job, Elle said pay was a big issue for employees. Elle made about $11 an hour, which was the average for most employees there.
"The major issue was the pay was absolutely nowhere for what was expected of us," Elle said. "It's not OK that people in management were working as close to full-time as they were allowed by the company and still having to choose every month between paying a bill or getting groceries. That's just not OK."
Elle said Thursday's walkout wasn't premediated, but was triggered by an accumulation of issues and complaints. Elle declined to discuss what prompted the walkout, but the exodus left only two employees. The public nature of the walkout was designed to inspire other mistreated workers to stand up for their rights. The outpouring of support online for Elle and other former employees exceeded their expectations.
"We did not expect it to go viral," Elle said. "We just thought that maybe a few people walking by the store who worked in the mall or work in a similar, poorly paid job would be like, 'Hey, maybe I deserve a better wage as well.'"
Elle, who is 20, said the decision to quit Hot Topic stemmed from having to open in the store in the morning one day, then being told later, as the shift was ending, to close it as well. That meant working from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Elle said.
"I was given no prior warning that I would be there for the entire day," Elle said.
Since leaving, Elle now works in a full-time job with better pay and benefits.
The specialty store opened in May or June of 2002 and has operated in the vicinity of the Apache Food Court for two decades.
The Spotted in Rochester post about the store's sudden closure had already generated 2,200 comments and 3,900 shares on Facebook, and many commenters noted that the store's predicament was a symptom of a nationwide problem: How rising inflation and stagnant wages are hurting workers.
"The cost of living has become out of control while wages don't move," said one comment posted by "Stephie Be." "If you can't afford to pay people, then you shouldn't open a business."
The Labor Department's closely watched employment report on Friday still showed that worker shortages persisted even after federal government-funded unemployment benefits expired in early September and schools fully reopened. The labor force participation rate was flat.
Hot Topic outlet in Rochester Apache Mall closes amid complaints of lack of living wage - PostBulletin.com
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