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Unionized Starbucks store in Vancouver to close as lease expires

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Starbucks employees unionize: Are labour unions making a comeback in North America?
Throughout the pandemic, North Americans have been rethinking their relationship with work. At businesses like Starbucks and Apple, some workers have sought to form unions or join unions. Alyssa Julie explains what’s behind workers’ renewed push to unionize their workplaces and whether it’s likely to lead to a stronger labour movement – Aug 27, 2022

One of the few unionized Starbucks stores in British Columbia is closing at the end of September.

Leanna Rizzi, a spokeswoman for the coffee chain, confirmed the closure of the Dunbar Street location in Vancouver via email, saying it’s due to a natural lease expiry.

She says the store is one of the smallest in the Starbucks portfolio, and it wasn’t possible to make necessary investments to renovate it, but workers will have the opportunity to transfer to a nearby location.

Click to play video: '‘Huge victory’: Southwest Calgary Starbucks employees agree to first unionized contract'
‘Huge victory’: Southwest Calgary Starbucks employees agree to first unionized contract

Twenty-two workers at the cafe voted to join the United Steelworkers Union in February, becoming one of a handful of unionized Starbucks locations in B.C. represented by that union.

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The United Steelworkers Union also represents some Starbucks stores in Alberta and Ontario.

The most recent Starbucks store to join the Steelworkers was in Ajax, Ont., where workers voted to join at the end of August.

 

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