Labour shortages, inflation, new organizing rules and the ‘Starbucks effect’ are all expected to spark new union drives.
A “budtender” at a cannabis store in Victoria. An employee at a movie theatre in downtown Vancouver. A cashier at a university grocery store.
Call it the Starbucks effect. Organizers say the high-profile union drives at the coffee giant’s stores in the United States — and now Canada — have had a ripple effect, emboldening young workers already itching for change as inflation eats their savings. Evan Strain got a job at the movie theatre before the end of his Grade 12 year. The 18-year-old slung popcorn, sold tickets and was laid off along with the rest of the staff when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived.
“We’ve seen pizza parties. We’ve seen ice cream socials. We’ve even seen the employer take everyone out for nachos and a spa day,” said Johnson, the secretary-treasurer of UFCW Local 1518. Riddell says it comes as many workers have been looking to unionize thanks to a combination of rising costs and a tight labour market. A November analysis from the federal government pegged B.C.’s overall unemployment rate at just 4.
“If I look at the numbers as a whole, even at the board, we are getting more signatory companies becoming unionized, and it’s been quicker,” said Malhotra, the business manager at LiUNA Local 1611. In recent years, more than 250 of the coffee chain’s locations in the United States have unionized. So have a handful of Canadian shops. The visibility and size of that union drive, which is organizing workers store by store, has emboldened other retail and services workers. Many, Johnson said, are young workers who may only be in a given job for a year or less.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why 2023 could be the year of the unionLabour shortages, inflation, new organizing rules and the ‘Starbucks effect’ are all expected to spark new union drives.
Read more »
2023 in charts: Experts predict what’s to come for housing, jobs, wages and moreFrom inflation and interest rates to housing, the job market and more, experts pick charts that explore issues they think will be critical in the year ahead
Read more »
Lorraine Explains: How Canadians' car-buying questions are changing for 2023ICYMI: How Canadians' car-buying questions are changing for 2023 — via drivingdotca 2023 ShoppingAdvice Hybrids ElectricVehicles
Read more »
Lorraine Explains: How Canadians' car-buying questions are changing for 2023ICYMI: How Canadians' car-buying questions are changing for 2023 — via drivingdotca 2023 ShoppingAdvice Hybrids ElectricVehicles
Read more »
Lorraine Explains: How Canadians' car-buying questions are changing for 2023ICYMI: How Canadians' car-buying questions are changing for 2023 — via drivingdotca 2023 ShoppingAdvice Hybrids ElectricVehicles
Read more »