Five Starbucks Stores in Ontario Approve First Union Contracts
The United Steelworkers union says workers at five Starbucks stores in Ontario have officially agreed to their first union contracts.
The union says this is an important step in getting better rights and working conditions for Starbucks employees.
The stores are in Ajax, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Toronto.
Starbucks has not commented yet.
Union efforts at Canadian Starbucks locations haven’t been easy. In 2023, the company closed its only unionized store in Vancouver. The union, United Steelworkers Local 2009, filed a complaint, saying the closure and threats made to a worker involved in union activity in Langley, B.C., were unfair.
In February, the B.C. Labour Relations Board said Starbucks had a legal reason to close the Vancouver store, but also said the company acted wrongly by threatening the union-supporting employee.
In the U.S., a group called Starbucks Workers United has been leading a growing union movement. It started in Buffalo, New York, in 2021 and now includes about 570 stores and 11,000 workers.
