Workers at Edmonton’s Kingsway Ave. Starbucks vote to join the United Steelworkers union
July 02 2024 - 12:05PM
Starbucks workers at the Kingsway Ave. & 117 St. store in
Edmonton have voted to join the United Steelworkers (USW) union.
There are over 25 partners at the store and will become members of
USW Local 1-207.
“This is such an exciting step forward for us at Kingsway
drive-thru! I’m so proud of all my fellow partners who have worked
so hard to get us here and I’m excited to see what the future holds
for us,” said Vala Ingolfsson, a Kingsway Starbucks partner.
The Kingsway store joins now joins several other unionized
locations in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario who have
recently joined the USW.
“I hope that our success encourages other Starbucks partners in
Edmonton to consider how USW could support their stores and
workers’ needs,” added Ingolfsson.
“We are thrilled to welcome more Starbucks workers into our
union family," said Scott Lunny, USW Director for Western Canada.
"The partners at the Kingsway Starbucks are joining the increasing
number of Starbucks workers across Canada who are organizing for
improved working conditions and wages. We look forward to
supporting these workers as they unite to be heard and get the
respect they deserve from Starbucks.”
The Kingsway Starbucks becomes the fifth unionized store in
Alberta with the USW. An application for a sixth store in Calgary
remains under review with the Alberta Labour Relations Board
following a sealed vote.
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 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/starbucks.
For more information:Scott Lunny, USW Western Canada Director,
604-329-5308, slunny@usw.caBrett Barden, USW Communications,
604-445-6956, bbarden@usw.ca