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World Cafe Live workers fired after walking off the job Wednesday in protest of new leadership
Night time box office manager Sophia Mattes and front-of-house manager Arely Pena strike in front of World Cafe Live on Walnut Street. (Peter Crimmins/WHYY)
Picketers say new leadership caused chaos in the workplace. All who joined the walkout were fired, and WCL says its considering legal action.
By Peter Crimmins Updated Jun. 13, 2025 7:44 am
On Wednesday evening, the show did not go on: right before a Jazz Jam performance at World Cafe Live, several workers of the two-decade-old music venue walked out to protest management, who later fired the workers in response.
The next day, about a dozen people sustained a picket line in front of the music venue’s doors on Walnut Street.
The workers come from a range of departments, including administration, front of house and production, had a list of grievances, including executive incompetence and hostile treatment by leadership brought in by new CEO Joseph Callahan, who took over from WCL founder Hal Real earlier this year.
Workers allege wage disruption
Front-of-house manager Arely Pena said that payments to employees and artists have been disrupted, several longtime senior staff have left and a planned expansion of WCL’s live performances as digital streaming content has not been transparently explained.
FULL story: https://whyy.org/articles/world-cafe-workers-fired-strike-protest/