The Starbucks on College Avenue is the oldest Starbucks in Ithaca. Workers there said they were given a week's notice the location would close its doors this Friday.

Workers say they think this has been planned since the location is one of the many Starbucks across the country that voted to unionize after a strike back in April when their grease trap overflooded and they were forced to still work.

“I think it was a targeted effort. They’ve been tying to get us to give into all of their unique union-busting demands for months," said Benjamin South, shift supervisor at the store. "I think they were just betting on us taking whatever they gave us and being quiet, but we cannot do that."

South said the grease trap overflow that prompted the strike created unsafe working conditions.

“There was maggots and grease all over out back room," he said. "It seeped into our front room and I called our manager. They told us to just have someone clean it up and work through it."

Starbucks is citing that grease trap as the reason for permanently closing the store, but workers are filing an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, claiming Starbucks is closing the store in retaliation for their vote to unionize.

“This is unbelievable retaliation by a company against baristas trying to organize," said Jaz Brisack, organizing committee member with Starbucks Workers United. "Starbucks has had this store for about 17 or 18 years. That grease trap has been an issue that others reported before. Starbucks only decided to close the store over that after workers unionized almost unanimously and then went on strike over the issue.”

Workers said Starbucks said they would bargain in good faith with the union to find them employment at other locations.