Instead you find 10 souls under 25 years of age simply looking to earn a better living.

With their high employee turnovers and part-time hours, unionized coffee shops are rare in Canada. Employees at a Tim Horton's in Longueuil formed a union last year, and 12 Starbucks are unionized on Vancouver Island. But forming a union isn't easy since it's illegal to organize at work and union cards must be signed away from the workplace.

At press time a woman who answered the phone at the airport's Second Cup outlet declined comment. "We're not allowed to make a comment at this time because though the union has been accredited, we're still not in a collective agreement," she said.

The employees made their request for union accreditation with Quebec's Labour Relations Board on April 2 and got the go-ahead April 28. And there was no opposition whatsoever from the outlet's owner, Cara Operations Limited.

"They [Cara] reacted very well," says Yvon Marion, president of Local 502 of United Food and Commercial Workers. "They didn't file an objection." The reason? Second Cup belongs to Toronto-based food industry giant Cara, whose tentacles include Swiss Chalet and Harvey's. And since Second Cup is "a very small part" of Cara's huge company, this wee union may not be such a big deal, Marion says.

Besides, Cara is used to working with unions, he says. "We don't consider Cara a bad employer." The Second Cup employees were most likely inspired to start a union after chats with employees at other airport stores. Marion says his union represents 50 people working in the airports' boutiques.

What are the Second Cup employees looking for? "There aren't any specific grievances," Marion says. "They want to improve their working conditions."

 
 

		Write your comment on this article!

There is Power in a Union     My comment is to Messers Golding, Pangia and Kalman -- you all write well, but where do you get your ideas about Unions? I say More Power to those "10 souls under 25" who have decided to take a little bit of control over their lives and livelihood and decided to negotiate some written rules into their terms of employment. MacJobs do not exist only in the fast food industry, they abound in clothing boutiques and souvenir boutiques and in all the Loblaws that pay minimum wage and refuse to give employees more than "part time" status so they do not have to provide them benefits. So if by organizing in a Union those workers gain the right to some paid sick days and some vacation days and the chance to not be fired at a supervisor's whim --- goood for them. I looked up the UFCW's website. And i can say i'd be willing to put a bit of my salary each week towards an organization that has a site where I can watch their videos "Mouseland" and "What side r U on?". Globalization is a-growing. Some of us are trying to resist it. If only in symbolic terms, the idea of a Union at a Second Cup or at a MacDonalds is worth fighting for.
Francisco Uribe	{7 votes}	May 7th, 2004
Unions: boon or bust?     These are a lot of people who just love to piss on minimum wage employees looking to better their working conditions by forming a union. These cold jaded bastards usually argue that "that's life" or "get a better job already and please stop bitching" but that's not really the point. But hey, who am I to disagree with such sound logic? Oh, that's right, I'm me and not them. For all the evils of unions, and sweet lord, there are a lot of them, they are also one of the few safeguards employees have at their disposal to protect themselves from unfair business practices and abusive conduct from their employers. Strange how this always slips by these conservative hotheads. Look, I agree that you have to earn what you get in this life, and that yes, there are no free rides but to piss on people because they are looking out for themselves is just plain thugish and short-sighted. Imagine a world without the very notion of unions, where do you think we'd be then? Ponder on that one for a while...
Pedro Eggers	{8 votes}	May 7th, 2004
McDonald's should look and learn     It is refreshing to see a major company not fighting the union or closing down a restaurant to get rid of employees who want to unionize. It takes a lot of guts and dedication for employees to go through the whole process. It is even more amazing when it mostly comes from teenagers who are so often criticized for not having any social or political urges. Hopefully, this will promote the idea to other employees in other McJobs to do the same or to at least look at the option and reject it if they don't consider it to be valuable.
Marc Charette	{2 votes}	May 11th, 2004
What's With the Union Bashing?     I have to agree with Eggers and Uribe on this one... Just because these Second Cup employees are low wage workers doesn't mean that they should have to suffer with bad working conditions without any benefits. Many people survive on these low incomes, try to make a living by working at Second Cup and McDonald's. Not everyone has an opportunity to "get a better job," not everyone working in these places are students. Many people never have the chance to further themselves through higher education or give themselves the edge they need to get a better job. I don't exactly feel bad for these huge billion dollar corporations that are suffering at the expense of unions forcing them to pay out more benefits and vacation time. Unions may not be perfect, but don't bash people who are fighting for the rights that they deserve.
Heather Jackson	{2 votes}	May 9th, 2004
Yay! Another union!     You want better working conditions? TRY WORKING IN ANOTHER INDUSTRY! You work in a COFFEESHOP ferchrissakes! What do you expect? So now baristas are unionized, next thing you know they're earning more than teachers and nurses... Is it just me, or is the whole world going to end up unionized? The homeless teamsters...union of dog-walkers...MacDonald's employees already tried it (and lost the vote...) - some people just seem to take themselves a LITTLE too seriously... Unfortunately, there seems to be a prevalent attitude these days - espcially among young adults - that they DESERVE better pay, better privileges, a better lifestyle. NEWSFLASH: you have to EARN it. You're working? Congratulations! So is just about everyone else! That is LIFE as we know and experience it - that MOST people have to work to survive. Why the heck should you be rewarded for doing what you're SUPPOSED to do? I hate to sound like a spoilsport, but seriously, what kind of perks does a barista expect? Is it really that demanding serving coffee and danish...? Even at minimum wage and with fairly long shifts, I can't imagine it being torturous or death-defying. What kind of 'improved working conditions' could these people POSSIBLY need???
Ben Kalman	{1 vote}	May 7th, 2004
Another Peel St. McDonald's?     This all started when workers at McDonald's on Peel St. decided to unionize the franchise store in hopes of obtaining better wages and working coniditons. What resuilted was the closing of the restaurant and loss of jobs. Although this will probably not happen in this case as Cara is limiting the widespread appeal of all this with its nonchalance I cannot help but see trouble lying ahead for this Second Cup. Costs get higher, revenues stay the same leading to the Second Cup kiosk getting shut down. I simply wonder why the employees put so much effort in unionizing the kiosk when most - if not all - people working there are using their jobs as a stepping stone for greener pastures when they enter into the workplace for their careers. I am pretty certain Second Cup in not the place where most people think of working for extended periods of time unless you actually own one yourself.
Ronny Pangia	{2 votes}	May 6th, 2004
Worth no more...     The service industry provides low responsability positions at low wages for people first entering the working world (students, school drop-outs and candidates with no experience), or people returning to work after a prolonged leave (maternity leave), or again for retirees looking to keep busy rather than stay at home. I did it as a student, and again later to supplement my income. I have good memories of these jobs. The flexible schedule was, and my bet is it still is, very appreciated while I was studying. Of course it would have been nicer to have more money, but I understood I'd have to look somewhere else to get a better salary. This kind of work simply is not worth more. The ones choosing a carreer in the service industry are offered promotions based on merits and with matching conditions. The ones who don't get promoted are probably not fit for this industry. Unionizing these jobs will force these companies to hire less staff and demand more of them, which will prevent the unqualified students and first job hunters getting these position.
Patrick Golding	{3 votes}	May 6th, 2004

Write your comment! please follow these guidelines

Information requested in blue will remain confidential   [privacy policy] Please indicate your real first and last names.

First name :

Last name :

Your email :

Confirm your email :

Title of your comment (max. 150 characters)   Your comment (max. 2000 characters)  characters remaining       LIMIT PER PERSON : one comment per article per member. Thank you. Your comment will be read by our approval team and, if it is approved, will be posted on the website within 24 hours. It could also be published, along with your name, in the printed version of Xpress magazine and on any of our partner websites. In order to present the highest quality of comments, Xpress reserves the right to refuse certain submissions. Any plagiarism will entail the entire removal of the member’s profile. Xpress is not responsible for the opinions expressed by the members.