Sherwood Park Starbucks Workers Vote to Join United Steelworkers Union

Workers at a Sherwood Park Starbucks store, located at Beaver Brook Square on Baseline Road (store # 4362), have won their unionization vote to join the United Steelworkers union (USW), becoming the second unionized corporate Starbucks store in Alberta.

“This is an exciting time for our Starbucks crew to be uniting with the USW – a moment in history,” said Sara Doran, a barista at the Beaver Brook Square store. “As a partner who has worked for the company since the early 2000s, it is an honour to be a part of this process. I look forward to a united and strong future with the USW.”

The Sherwood Park baristas join the growing number of Starbucks employees who are organizing across North America for better working conditions and wages, including at the Calgary Millrise store, Alberta’s first corporate Starbucks store to join the USW in July.

“There is always more strength in numbers, and it’s great to be part of a growing team of partners joining unions across North America. I believe that unions promote equality among individuals within the group, which helps to foster leadership, responsibility, accountability, equality and empowerment,” added Doran.

The union certification vote took place in person, with the majority voting in favour of joining the USW. The 41 workers at the Beaver Brook Square store will become members of USW Local 1-207, representing workers in a variety of industries across Alberta.

“Our partners are proud of the relationships we have built with each other and our customers. Having a seat at the table to be treated as fellow partners in the business will allow us to uplift each other and continue to elevate the experience we can offer our customers,” said another barista from the Beaver Brook store.

“We look forward to bargaining to reimagine what we can accomplish together to improve the experience of the partners and customers at our store. We are excited and humbled to be joining workers who have paved the way for us in this movement and look forward to supporting our fellow partners who choose to unite to demand better work now,” added the barista.

“We are proud to welcome workers from the second unionized Starbucks store in Alberta to our growing union family,” said Scott Lunny, USW Director for Western Canada.

“Once again, we see workers standing together to demand better from Starbucks. It’s an exciting movement building across North America and we look forward to ensuring these workers achieve a first collective agreement that empowers them to secure the respect and voice they deserve,” said Lunny.

A second union certification vote is expected shortly at the Sherwood Drive Starbucks store in Sherwood Park (store # 57236) and a vote count at five Lethbridge stores is pending a hearing at the Alberta Labour Relations Board.

The USW represents Starbucks workers in Sherwood Park and Calgary in Alberta, and in Victoria, Surrey and Langley in B.C. The USW also represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector union in North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.

Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because of our strong track record in creating healthier, safer and more respectful workplaces and negotiating better working conditions and fairer compensation – including good wages, benefits and pensions. Workers interested in joining the United Steelworkers union can learn more about the benefits at betterworknow.ca or by calling 1-888-879-2411 (toll-free).

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