Toronto Starbucks location becomes first in the city to unionize

A Starbucks location in T0ronto has voted to unionize, making it the first in the city to do so.

After the first Ontario location of the Seattle-based coffee chain voted to unionize just under a year ago in Waterloo, it looks like more and more locations are following suit, with the latest being the cafe at Pape and Danforth.

Staff at the coffee shop voted on March 6 and 7, officially opting to join the United Steel Workers (USW), who represent all other unionized Starbucks locations in Canada from B.C. to Ontario.

"We started this campaign because we intrinsically know our worth," Jo Price, a Partner at Starbucks Pape and Danforth said in a release. "We know that we are the foundation of our store and the company and we deserve to be valued and respected as such."

“In a world that is hostile to workers and increasingly becoming more precarious for us, having protections in place outside of those dictated by the company, as well as a shot at accessing a living wage, is more important than ever,” Price continued.

Over the past year, four locations in the province have voted to unionize, including Ajax and Kitchener, who join Waterloo and Toronto.

Just months after Indigo closed down one of three unionized stores in the city, the news of the Starbucks unionization movement making its way to Toronto is a small vote of confidence for those concerned about workers' rights in the city.