Starbucks baristas in Cloverdale join growing movement for fairness and respect

BURNABY, B.C. – Starbucks workers at Cloverdale’s Clover Square Village in Surrey, B.C., are the latest to join a growing movement of baristas across Canada who are standing together for fairness, respect and better working conditions. The United Steelworkers union (USW) proudly welcomes these workers as they take an important step toward building a stronger future at Starbucks.

The Clover Square Village baristas organized in response to concerns about job security, staffing levels and fairness at work. But above all, they organized for a stronger voice to have a say in the decisions that affect their daily lives.

“With all the changes and new job requirements that are being routinely introduced by our new CEO, we are finding it more and more difficult to meet the high expectations of Starbucks,” said a Clover Square Village worker. 

“There is a level of hypocrisy with corporate bosses claiming they are ‘committed to our health and well-being’ while simultaneously not giving us enough staff on the floor to meet those unrealistic demands. This has resulted in mental burnout for employees and increasing frustration for our customers. With the recent closures of many North American stores and the severance of over 900 partners, many of us are now experiencing job insecurity. We are worried about losing our jobs and benefits.”

Beyond the stress and uncertainty, workers say their struggles are building from a lack of respect and accountability from management.

“As partners, we’ve raised multiple concerns with management about our basic human rights, including the right to self-expression, to a workplace free from bullying and harassment and to be treated with respect and dignity,” said another worker from Clover Square Village.

“Despite our efforts, our concerns continue to be dismissed. We’re told to turn the other cheek and prioritize others’ comfort, even when it means compromising our own safety and self-worth. We believe that upholding human rights shouldn’t stop when we put on the apron. The same respect we extend to every customer should be afforded to the people who serve them.”

Today’s victory adds to the growing proof that when baristas come together and organize, they can achieve better. When Starbucks closed its unionized Alder Crossing store in Surrey, those workers didn’t face the closure alone as they used their unionized voice to negotiate stronger severance and priority hiring at other stores. That’s the power of standing together and it’s a sharp contrast to the fate of non-union workers who didn’t get that opportunity and who had no say.

The USW encourages other Starbucks workers to take this same bold step. Each new unionized store adds to a growing network of baristas who are proving that change happens when workers come together.

“Workers at Clover Square Village are joining a movement that’s all about achieving better – better respect, better stability and better treatment,” said Scott Lunny, USW Director for Western Canada. 

“Every time a store organizes, it sends a message that together, we can create real change. These baristas are leading the way toward fairer and more respectful Starbucks stores and we are proud to stand with them.”

For more information about unionizing a Starbucks location or getting involved, visit betterworknow.ca/starbucks.

About the United Steelworkers union

The USW 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 the union’s 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.

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