Workers at the Starbucks in Oak Bay could soon count themselves among a growing national movement of unionized baristas.
On May 14, the United Steelworkers Union (USW), which represents 850,000 members from a range of sectors in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean, announced that the Oak Bay Avenue location has filed to join the 83-year-old group.
This follows the unionization of Starbucks locations in Ontario, including those in Ajax, Kitchener, Waterloo and Toronto. According to a Starbucks spokesperson, the company operates more than 900 stores in Canada, 15 of which are represented by the USW.
鈥淭hese recent victories underscore the momentum building among Starbucks workers across the country who are organizing for better wages, fair scheduling and respect on the job,鈥� the USW said in a news release.
Scott Lunny, the union's Western Canada director, expressed excitement about the application.
鈥淲e鈥檙e pleased the Oak Bay Starbucks workers have chosen the USW to represent them,鈥� he said in the same news release. 鈥淭his is an inspiring step for baristas across the country who are organizing for better working conditions. When workers come together, they have the power to win real changes from fair pay to decent schedules and respect on the job.鈥�
According to the USW, workers at the Oak Bay Starbucks have successfully reached the threshold for automatic certification 鈥� criteria B.C. outlines online.
"If 55 per cent or more of employees in a workplace indicate their intent to unionize by signing union membership cards, a union will be certified and no further vote is required," reads the province's website. "If between 45 per cent and 55 per cent of employees sign union membership cards, a second step consisting of a secret ballot vote is required for certification."
A decision from the B.C. Labour Board on the certification variance is pending.
Lunny told The Oak Bay News that the USW would help those working at the Oak Bay location 鈥渉ave voice on the job and to have a say over working conditions.鈥�
鈥淭here are some health and safety concerns and other concerns about the application of some of the policies that Starbucks has and how they implement them,鈥� said the Western Canada director, though he couldn't detail the employees鈥� concerns.
Lunny added that the union wants to create one collective agreement for all of the Starbucks stores looking to join the USW.
The same Starbucks spokesperson told The Oak Bay News that it respects the decisions of its workers hoping to unionize.
"Starbucks Canada can confirm that our Oak Bay store in Victoria, B.C. has certified. We respect the right of all partners (employees) to make their own decisions regarding unions, whether they favour or oppose representation, and will continue to work with our partners to make Starbucks the best job in retail," she said.
This won't be the first Starbucks in Greater Victoria to seek a union agreement. In 2021, the Douglas and Alpha streets location in Victoria settled a collective agreement with the international coffee giant. Workers at the drive-thru location unanimously ratified a three-year deal that the USW said protects against workplace violence and aggression, offers leave following domestic violence and calls for wage increases of up to $2.47 per hour based on years of service.
