Two Starbucks locations in Waterloo Region unionize

Two more Starbucks stores in Waterloo Region have decided to unionize. CTV’s Ashley Bacon reports.

Employees at two Waterloo Region Starbucks locations have decided to unionize.

Staff at Fairview Plaza in Kitchener and Conestoga Mall in Waterloo signed a collective agreement last week to join United Steelworkers (USW).

“We’re all excited about that,” USW staff representative Mary Lou Scott said. “We have about 75 members in the greater Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge area.”

With the latest additions, there are now three unionized stores in Waterloo Region. A shop in Uptown Waterloo officially signed a contract in 2023, making them one of the first five unionized stores in Ontario.

The unionization effort has not always been smooth sailing in Canada.

The B.C. Labour Relations Board found Starbucks wrongfully made “threats of adverse consequences” against an employee due to her union activity. However, the ruling also noted the company had a legitimate business case to shut down the only unionized shop in Vancouver.

Joining the effort

“They actually now have a voice in their workplace,” Scott said, when talking about the latest locations to unionize. “They have an avenue if things go wrong, they can push back a bit to the employer.”

In an email to CTV News, Starbucks Canada said of the 900 locations across the country, eight stores have a collective agreement and another six are currently in the bargaining process.

The email went on to say, “We are committed to working with the union in good faith and are pleased partners voted in favour of ratifying these contracts.”

“We’ve had multiple [Starbucks employees] now ask about being organized and so that process is started as well,” Scott explained. “We’re hoping to get 6,000 members across Ontario.”

Scott said they frequently hear from their newest members that are very concerned with safety.

“I wouldn’t have thought that a retail store - that health and safety would be a major for them, but it is actually,” she said. “Young workers want to work in a safe environment, and they want to be heard in their workplace.”