HALIFAX – About a dozen people gathered in front of a Halifax coffee shop Monday morning, to protest in support of workers who were allegedly fired for starting a union.
Jude Kinder has worked at the Second Cup at the corner of Quinpool Road and Vernon Street since the location opened.
He alleges he was fired when some of the workers tried to unionize. Workers voted to form a union on June 5.
“We deserve dignity at work,” he said.
Kinder filed a complaint with the Labour Board of Nova Scotia and has a hearing with the board on Friday.
Read more: Coffee shop workers in Halifax in midst of unique drive to unionize
“There have been several workers let go since we unionized and we are fighting for our jobs back,” he said.
Protesters wore signs saying “Baristas won’t be intimidated”, “We pull the shots” and “Coffee shop workers unite”.
They also held signs stringing together the sentence “We are not disposable baristas, rise up”.
This protest comes months after similar rallies for two workers at Just Us Coffee Roasters on Spring Garden Road who allegedly were fired for starting a union.
The workers at the location have since been told they can unionize.
“I think it’s pretty clear young people, who are often overeducated, are fed up with having terrible jobs,” said SIEU Local 2 labour organizer Jason Edwards.
“What they’re doing is fighting back and saying, ‘If you’re not going to provide us with good jobs in this city then what we’re going to do is make the jobs we have better,'” Edwards said.
Management at the Second Cup location declined to comment to Global News.
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