In the normal world, if a business doesn’t like competition from another business, it’s a simple case of tough patooties.   The only option is to step up to the competition, or watch the bottom line dwindle.

But if that business happens to be represented by a government union, they can just demand the competition be shut down.

This is exactly what has happened in Seattle. 

A food vendor operating on Seattle Parks and Recreation property was told he could no longer sell food during school lunch hours (11:30 am to 1:30 pm) after the union representing school cafeteria workers at neighboring Garfield High School complained.

Before getting the official order to shut down, the owner of Garfield Eats, Artez Ford, said a union rep for the school’s cafeteria workers (Local 609B) told him, “…there are real American families up at the cafeteria that’s trying to make a living.”  Of course, that is exactly what Ford is trying to do.

Just days after that exchange, Ford received an email from Seattle Parks and Recreation to stop selling food during lunch hours because, “this is in direct conflict with the Garfield High School cafeteria staff’s efforts to serve lunch and their union.”

Parks and Recreation says they are just trying to be “good neighbors with the school district,” but the a Seattle Public Schools (SPS) spokesperson said “SPS wouldn’t tell a vendor to stop selling food off school grounds.” 

SPS may not, but the union representing SPS cafeteria workers has no such qualms.

In an effort to justify their absurd and outrageous demand, the union said Garfield Eats was selling junk food, tobacco and beer.  According to KIRO 7 News, when asked for evidence of this, the union did not reply.  Ford said he has never sold tobacco or alcohol, and students told KIRO 7 they had not seen such products for sale at Garfield Eats.

In fact, tobacco and alcohol are prohibited in Seattle parks.

As for the claim of junk food, Garfield High students ironically say they preferred Garfield Eats precisely because of the healthy (including vegetarian) and low cost food options.  Those students say they now spend their lunch money buying fried chicken at Ezell’s or at the AmPm gas station convenience store.

“I used to come down here [to Garfield Eats] for lunch, like, all the time, because it was so much cheaper,” said one student.

And apparently more appealing than what the school cafeteria workers are cooking up.  Data from SPS shows the number of meals served per lunch hour at all high schools is below the target goal, with only 18.9% of high school students buying school lunch from 2015-16.

The owner of Garfield Eats says he has lost 70% of his business since Parks and Recreation forced him to shut down during school lunch hours.  Ford says he and his family invested everything they had to start the business and now are struggling to survive. 

Apparently if you’re not a government union worker, you don’t count as a “real American family” that is “trying to make a living.”