Starbucks employees at a store in Victoria have decided they want to join a union.
Workers at the Starbucks drive-thru location on Douglas Street, across from Mayfair, have agreed to join the United Steelworkers (USW) union. The employees will become part of United Steelworkers District 3, which represents over 50,000 workers in Western Canada.
The Douglas Street store is the first Starbucks in Western Canada to unionize, a spokesperson with USW told CHEK.
“In the midst of a pandemic, it takes courage for workers to start an organizing drive, and I welcome these new members to our union and are honoured that workers from Starbucks chose USW to represent them,” Stephen Hunt, USW Western Canada director, said in a press release issued Aug. 19.
“Workers from all sectors are reaching out to unions for safety, decent wages and a voice in their workplaces, especially during the pandemic. “Workers are told they are essential, but they don’t have the wages or safety protections that should back that claim up. We’ve always known they are essential, but they’re not sacrificial too,” he added.
READ: Starbucks to close up to 200 Canadian locations over two years
Starbucks, earlier this year, revealed plans to close as many as 200 stores in North America, as part of a restructuring effort.
According to Statistica, there were 1,175 company-operated stores and 432 licensed stores in Canada last year.
Starbucks owns all of its stores in North America. However, some stores, usually in airports, grocery stores, are licensed locations.
The Douglas Street store is a corporate-owned Starbucks, according to the USW spokesperson.
CHEK News
