ITHACA, N.Y. (WENY) -- Starbucks is closing its location on College Ave. in Ithaca, citing unsafe working conditions and low customer attendance. Local officials and workers accuse the company of union busting.

The coffee giant told its workers Friday that its College Avenue location will close its doors June 9. This move comes mere weeks after Starbucks employees across all three Ithaca locations voted to unionize. That union vote was approved.

Starbucks chief reason for shutting down this branch is due to an old grease trap that overflowed. Employees say Starbucks doesn't fry any of their menu items. The grease trap was a hold over from the previous business which employees were forced to clean up. The spill triggered a day-long strike by employees in April.

"Starbucks cited many reasons why they are closing the store, and one of them was the grease trap incident," said Evan Sunshine, a barista at the Starbucks on College Ave. "They [Starbucks] are implicitly stating that they are closing the store because we went on strike."

After workers went public with their intent to unionize in December, Starbucks altered its hours to close at 7 p.m. instead of 10 p.m. Now, with the union officially established, the store closes at 2 p.m.

Alderman Patrick Mehler, a Democrat who represents the 4th Ward of the City of Ithaca, which includes the street the closing Starbucks is on, said this action by the company feels a lot like union busting.

"This is exactly what that feels like," said Mehler.

Mehler calls Starbucks' claims of time and attendance issues a lie, citing high foot traffic and the close proximity of the store to Cornell University's campus.

"I can't see a great excuse why you would close this, I mean if the thing that's the problem is, it's not safe, then make it safe," Mehler said.

The recently established union filed Sunday 50 unfair labor practice charges against the company.

"I think they are terrified of what we can do and they want to separate us as much as possible. But they are not going to divide us we are going to keep fighting. Not just for us and the other two stores in Ithaca but for food service workers across the county," Sunshine said.

The union starts negotiations with Starbucks on the fate of its workers Tuesday.