Following in the footsteps of their colleagues in British Columbia and Alberta, Starbucks workers in Ontario are increasingly looking to join the labour movement, and the United Steelworkers in particular.
Recently, employees at Starbucks locations at the Conestoga Mall in Waterloo, Ont., the Fairway Plaza in Kitchener, Ont., and the Pape and Danforth store in Toronto voted to join the Steelworkers. The USW now represents workers at five Starbucks locations in Ontario and several others in Western Canada.
In March, the USW welcomed over 100 workers from the Edmonton People In Need Shelter Society who voted overwhelmingly to join the union. These new members work in facilities dedicated to improving the well-being and quality of life of individuals suffering from severe and persistent chronic mental illness.
Workers at Garderie Cafalaga, a child-care centre in Montreal, voted to join USW Local 9291. The local union already represents other child-care workers in Quebec and is expanding its membership.
Prison chaplains working at federal correctional facilities in Alberta voted to join the Steelworkers, following similar decisions taken by federal prison chaplains across Canada. The USW is proud to represent some 200 prison chaplains of various faiths and spiritual practices who provide essential chaplaincy services and spiritual care to inmates.
Representing tens of thousands of forestry-sector workers in Canada, the USW recently welcomed into the fold some 40 new members employed at Andersen Pacific Forest Products in Maple Ridge, B.C. The new members have joined Local 2009.
Acting on several unresolved issues and concerns, 275 workers at the Windsor, Ont., operations of auto components manufacturer Leggett & Platt Canada voted to join the USW. The Windsor workers join their colleagues at the Leggett & Platt facility in London, Ont., who have been USW members for many years.
The USW welcomed more than 30 workers from ConocoPhillips in Montney, B.C., a small town north of Fort St. John, who chose to join the union to strengthen their voice in the workplace through collective bargaining. ConocoPhillips operates an unconventional gas field development in Montney.
This article appeared in the Summer 2024 issue of USW@Work magazine.
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The announcement will strengthen Canada's economy and labour market and protect good manufacturing jobs.
Stewart is the first Black district director in the union, across Canada and the U.S.