The Baristas Vs. Starbucks

Of the more than 1,400 Starbucks stores in Canada, only a single location in Victoria, B.C. has a union. One former barista spoke to Canadaland about the working conditions that led baristas to organize for better protections - and how the flurry of anti-union messaging from Starbucks HQ was still not enough to deter the workers. 

But companies across Canada and the U.S. have been employing these types of tactics for decades to prevent their workers from unionizing: including persistent messaging, hiring third-party crisis management firms, and even shuttering stores completely. 

Do these new unionized workers stand a chance? Cherise Seucharan reports. 

Featured in this episode: Izzy Adachi, former Starbucks worker; Pablo Guerra, organizer with United Steelworkers; Mitch Thompson, journalist; David J. Doorey, professor of labour law at York University

Correction: An earlier version of this episode incorrectly identified the Victoria Starbucks location as the first location in Canada to unionize. While it is currently the only location that is unionized there were a number of stores that unionized in the ‘90s and 2000s. These locations are no longer unionized for a number of different reasons.

Further reading:

• Only one Starbucks in Canada is currently unionized, and it's in B.C. Why is Starbucks so afraid of unions?, Toronto Star
• A ‘Gen U' of young Starbucks baristas is powering a growing push to unionize, CNBC
• LEAKED AUDIO: Amazon Union Buster Warns Workers ‘Things Could Become Worse', Vice News
• Walmart has everything - except unions, The Walrus 
• Union-Bashing Is on the Menu at Tim Hortons, Mitchell Thompson, Jacobin

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