OPINION: Only One Starbucks in Canada is Currently Unionized, and it’s in B.C. Why is Starbucks So Afraid of Unions?

Barnea, A. (2022, April 23). Only one Starbucks in Canada is currently unionized, and it’s in B.C. Why is Starbucks so afraid of unions?. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/business/opinion/2022/04/23/a-strong-momentum-to-unionize-is-brewing-at-starbucks-south-of-the-border-its-already-begun-in-canada.html  UTL Link: https://myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fblogs-podcasts-websites%2Fonly-one-starbucks-canada-is-currently-unionized%2Fdocview%2F2653573724%2Fse-2%3F

Amir Barnea writes “Starbucks Coffee has gained the reputation of a company that provides great benefits to its employees. It refers to its workers as ‘partners’ and is proud of investing in them. … Until June 2021, none of the North American workers in company-owned stores belonged to a union. But last summer, some 30 employees at a Starbucks drive-thru location at Douglas and Alpha streets in Victoria, B.C., changed that, making their store the only corporate-owned Starbucks in North America to unionize.”

“’It was the summer of 2020 and there was a lot of miscommunication and lack of communication between us and management. For example, with respect to what type of PPE we were supposed to be wearing,’ … [Barista, Sarah] Broad told me in an interview … After reaching out to a few unions, the employees chose to work with the United Steelworkers (USW). … After months of negotiations, United Steelworkers (USW) announced a three-year deal, … It negotiated wage increases of up to $2.47 per hour based on years of service. In a statement following the agreement, Starbucks Canada minimized the achievements accomplished by the employees. ‘After union dues and donations, some hourly employees in this store will earn only a few cents ($0.04 to $0.07) more per hour than other Starbucks partners in the province,’ the statement reads.”

“Yet, judging by recent comments by its interim CEO it appears that Starbucks is still frightened of the idea that more of its stores will unionize. … While there is only one unionized store in Canada (a recent attempt to unionize a Calgary store was voted down), south of the border a strong momentum is building. … Starbucks has been a leader on so many fronts. From being one of the first S&P 500 firms to publish a Corporate Social Responsibility report back in 2001, to its current initiatives with respect to fighting climate change. So it’s disappointing that it seems to view unionization as a threat. … But the reality is that unionization simply provides a safety net for employees and shouldn’t be viewed as a threat.”

Additional Information

Starbucks Coffee Canada and the United Steelworkers Local 2009. (2021).  Collective Bargaining Agreement between Starbucks Coffee Canada and the United Steelworkers Local 2009, June 1, 2021 - June 30, 2024. https://www.usw2009.ca/docs/starbucks_2021-2024.pdf 

Starbucks Canada. (2021, July 31). Statement: Starbucks Canada reaches a collective bargaining agreement with United Steelworkers union for Douglas Street drive-thru location. Starbucks Stories Canada.  https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2021/statement-starbucks-canada-reaches-a-collective-bargaining-agreement-with-united-steelworkers-union-for-douglas-street-drive-thru-location/  

Zilber, A. (2022, April 11). Starbucks CEO to unionizing baristas: ‘Why don’t you go somewhere else?’. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2022/04/11/starbucks-ceo-lashes-out-at-unionizing-baristas/  

Starbucks Canada. (2002). Continuing to Invest in Partners. Starbucks Coffee Company.  https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/sites/9/2022/01/Partner-Care-Infographic.png

Starbucks Coffee Company. (2001) Corporate Social Responsibility Annual Report Fiscal 2001. Starbucks Coffee Company.  https://content-prod-live.cert.starbucks.com/binary/v2/asset/143-71975.pdf  

Photo Source: [Photograph]. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/business/opinion/2022/04/23/a-strong-momentum-to-unionize-is-brewing-at-starbucks-south-of-the-border-its-already-begun-in-canada.html

Story

starbucks retaliating against so many stores unionizing by cutting partner hours across the board suddenly and without warning... sure love working for such a diverse, inclusive, caring company :))))

Starbucks Workers Continue Fight For Unions Nationwide

Following the success of the first unionized Starbucks in Buffalo, New York, multiple stores in at least eight different states have doubled down on their efforts to unionize as corporate pressure mounts. Workers have received a key endorsement from Bernie sanders in their fight for unionization as well. Ana Kasparian and John Iadarola discuss on The Young Turks. Watch LIVE weekdays 6-8 pm ET. https://youtube.com/theyoungturks/live

Read more HERE: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-08/u-s-labor-board-orders-starbucks-arizona-union-election

"A U.S. labor official granted a request by Arizona workers at Starbucks Corp. to hold an election that could expand the new unionized foothold at the retail coffee chain, rejecting the company’s arguments against holding store-by-store votes.

In a Friday ruling, the National Labor Relations Board’s regional director ordered that ballots be mailed out Jan. 14 to employees at a store in Mesa, Arizona, who will have until Jan. 28th to return them."

The Young Turks

The labor lawyer I talked to today said that she calls my generation "generation U" (honorific) because we want to unionize so fucking bad and we're actually working for it and I think that's fantastic. Let's go generation u!!!

yesterday (12/9) a Starbucks in Buffalo, NY became the first unionized Starbucks in the country (x)

ID: a tweet from @/SBWorkersUnited that reads: "Victory at Elmwood, the first unionized Starbucks store in the United States—history made!!!"

I want to make sure you are hearing directly from us, and me personally, so you know our position and have the facts. - Rossann Williams, president of Starbucks North America

companies that say they “don’t need a union” for ANY reason need a union. if you get half-decent benefits in a shitty industry but you aren’t in a union and neither are any of your coworkers, your benefits are for PR more than anything. your employer has looked at the pros and cons and decided to give you just enough benefits to keep you compliant and convince you and your coworkers AND everyone else who doesn’t even fucking work there that you “don’t need a union,” no matter how many times you get screamed at over coffee, or a sandwich, or a free fucking cup of water, or whatever, and are told by management to just deal with it. lots of companies say that unions would cause tension in the workplace or “mess with our family” or whatever the fuck, but even more insidious is giving you just enough to try and keep you convinced that “well, my benefits are so good, i don’t need a union!” no. you do. if you are a worker, you need to be in a union.

Starbucks Is Playing With Fire

Starbucks Is Playing With Fire

The coffee giant’s anti-union tactics have been as aggressive as Amazon’s—but they might end up scalding the company. Source: Starbucks Is Playing With Fire

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Starbucks Hit With Lawsuit From Labor Board Over Anti-Union Employee Guidelines

Starbucks Hit With Lawsuit From Labor Board Over Anti-Union Employee Guidelines

In a new lawsuit against Starbucks, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is alleging that a number of the company’s employee guidelines are in violation of labor laws. As first reported by More Perfect Union, the lawsuit, issued on Wednesday, takes issue with 19 sections of the company’s “Partner Guide,” which the NLRB argues are “overly-broad and discriminatory” against workers’…

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Starbucks Broke the Law More than 200 Times in Campaign to Bust Buffalo Union

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“Starbucks will be held accountable for the union-busting minefield they forced workers to walk through in fighting for their right to organize,” the group continued. “This complaint fully unmasks Starbucks’ facade as a ‘progressive company’ and exposes the truth of Howard Schultz’s anti-union war.” Source: Starbucks Broke the Law More than 200 Times in Campaign to Bust Buffalo Union

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In a sign that federal labor officials are closely scrutinizing management behavior during union campaigns, the National Labor Relations Board said Friday that it had found merit in allegations that Amazon and Starbucks had violated labor law. At Amazon, the labor board found merit to charges that the company had required workers to attend anti-union meetings at a vast Staten Island warehouse…

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NLRB Finds Merit in Union Accusations Against Amazon and Starbucks

NLRB Finds Merit in Union Accusations Against Amazon and Starbucks

In a sign that federal labor officials are closely scrutinizing management behavior during union campaigns, the National Labor Relations Board said Friday that it had found merit in accusations that Amazon and Starbucks had violated labor law. At Amazon, the labor board found merit to charges that the company had required workers to attend anti-union meetings at a vast Staten Island warehouse…

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NLRB Finds Merit in Union Accusations Against Amazon and Starbucks

NLRB Finds Merit in Union Accusations Against Amazon and Starbucks

In a sign that federal labor officials are closely scrutinizing management behavior during union campaigns, the National Labor Relations Board said Friday that it had found merit in accusations that Amazon and Starbucks had violated labor law. At Amazon, the labor board found merit to charges that the company had required workers to attend anti-union meetings at a vast Staten Island warehouse…

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Watch "Pure Propaganda': Inside Starbucks' Anti-Union Tactics Featuring Starbucks Union Organizers" on YouTube