Baristas and coffee attendants at a Starbucks in Saguenay are now unionized, a first in the province. The Administrative Labor Tribunal granted its accreditation following a request filed in July.
“As is too often the case for multi-billion dollar multinationals, anti-union practices are almost part of Starbucks’ brand identity,” said Caroline Senneville, president of the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), in a press release . This company is infamous for its determination to prevent its workers around the world from enforcing their rights and even their freedom of expression! Today’s victory therefore radiates well beyond Quebec and Canada. The employees of Chicoutimi are no longer alone facing their employer, they can now count on the strength of their 330,000 supportive comrades across the country! »
In an interview, Ms. Senneville said she was aware of the fact that Starbucks “was not an employer who was very keen on the idea of having unions in its establishments.” “But we expect the employer to respect the laws,” she said, adding that she hoped other establishments would unionize.
The Saguenay Starbucks has around thirty employees. They will now be part of the Catering Employees Union-CSN.
