What once looked like a solitary stand-off between angry baristas and an incompetent employer has become a tidal wave of Halifax cafe workers demanding workplace regulation.
After the successful union effort at Just Us! Spring Garden in June, employees at two Second Cup franchises have begun organizing their own workplaces. The long-term goal, explains Service Employees International Union Local 2 organizer Jason Edwards, is to create a city-wide bargaining unit. “That requires a fairly high market density of unionized shops.”
Six workers at Second Cup Quinpool—formerly the shop’s entire staff—say they unanimously voted to unionize with the SEIU within weeks. The change came at the cost of five of those baristas’ jobs. The SEIU has filed an unfair labor practice, alleging that the dismissals were illegal.
Shelby Kennedy is the only original employee left. She says that franchise owner Kathleen Attis (who refused to comment) threatened to fire her while they were working together. “It was intimidating,” she says.
On Spring Garden, Second Cup also had a union vote to join SEIU 2 on Monday. Not everyone is happy about it. Ashton Manktelow, 29, has been working closely with Second Cup management for three years. “They didn’t give Chris (Macaloney, the Spring Garden manager) a chance,” Manktelow says. “They didn’t follow procedure.”
Edwards disagrees. “The workers …followed Nova Scotia labour law and asserted their right to have a vote for a union,” he responds. “I am unsure how this characterization…could be anyone’s impression of the events.”
At press time, the Second Cup Spring Garden vote was yet to be counted. But cafe workers aren’t waiting around: a network called Baristas Rise Up has had several meetings. “Baristas are getting together and trying to figure out the best way to support each other in order to improve their working conditions,” states Moe Kabbera, a pro-union Second Cup employee.
This article appears in Jul 18-24, 2013.
Great job Second Cup workers! I know organizing a union is hard work and the benefits don’t “pay off” right away but you are not only doing this to help yourself but also all future coffee shop workers in Halifax. And Kathy, look to the example of Just Us! who voluntarily recognized the union but only after a sustained and organized fight. You will see the same tenacity!
Mark Cunningham
Solidarity Halifax member.
This is great. Young people, degree or no, are increasingly finding themselves stuck in dead-end precarious work if they want to stay in halifax. Unions offer much greater job security, which we sorely lack. Workers get treated like they’re as disposable as the coffee cups, which is wrong.
Excellent move children. Vote yourselves out of business and leave the playing field to the professionals.
About a year ago my husband and I started going to the Second Cup on Quinpool. Our preference has always been to support local coffee shops like Just Us, Uncommon Grounds, Java Blend, etc… all of which we still frequent but none have locations on Quinpool. Sometimes you just need a handy coffee fix. And so we found ourselves at the Second Cup. On that very first visit we were so impressed with the staff (who we later came to know as Shelby and Angie) that we returned a few days later. From that very first day we received stellar service EVERY time.
We became regulars SOLEY BECAUSE OF THE STAFF. We still felt pangs of guilt at times for visiting a big chain but it was just always such a bright spot in our day that we kept going. Over the last six months we got to know all of the other staff very well, all of whom made visiting Second Cup Quinpool a real treat. It was like the coffee shop equivalent of Cheers. They knew exactly what we liked and when I brought in my own goat’s milk they’d make me the perfect capriccino, no questions asked, something that some other coffee shops won’t do.
I’ve built my own career on giving great customer service and I like to recognize it when I see it. Having owned a retail business and worked in many others I think it’s important to point out great service. On two occasions my husband and I went out of our way to speak to the owner, congratulating her on her incredible staff. One day this winter we left a “love note” for the staff because they just made us feel so damn happy every time we went in. A few weeks ago we helped the owner in with a car load of supplies, happy to help out. And then we found out everyone, save for Shelby, had been fired. To say we were shocked is putting it mildly.
At the time we didn’t know the reasons behind the mass firing and we figured we’d give the new staff a fair try, and give the owner the benefit of the doubt. In the last two weeks, we’ve only visited a few times. Despite two badly botched drink orders and two 20 minute waits we tried to be patient. We’ve witnessed frazzled, overworked new staff, some of them simply not trained, and others who were left to work all day without anyone to relieve them due to “scheduling mixups”.
And then we read this article.
Sorry, Second Cup Quinpool, you just lost two regular customers. We’d like to continue going just to say hi to Shelby but knowing the money will end up in Attis’ pocket, we just simply can’t support the business.
If anyone knows where Angie and the other staff have ended up, please post something here as we’d like to follow them and support whatever business hires these incredibly friendly and talented baristas. If you have a chance to hire one of them to work in your coffee shop, do it!
Heidi Hallett
@JohnHutton
I agree with your comment, but I have to say one thing: Youth aren’t just stuck in dead-end work in Halifax. This Maritime pessimism (or the assumption that Atlantic Canada’s cities are always doing worse than everywhere else) is getting quite irksome–youth unemployment and dead-end employment is a national problem, and the numbers don’t show that it’s any worse here than most other places. Youth unemployment is unacceptably high all over.
I’ll take my business somewhere non-unionized: where the coffee is cheaper and the staff keep their ‘organizing against the attrocities of the coffeeshop’ fantasies to themselves.
And the union will not be happy until a small cup of coffee costs over $5.00
Where is Tim’s in all of this? I really want to know.
It just goes to show how desperate the union parasites are getting, that they have to scab off some poor NSCAD Barista for union dues.
Anyone who considers Barista as a life long method of employment either owns a coffee shop, or is a deluded NDP/Green supporting twit.
I’m a little disappointed with the media coverage on this. I expected a little more objectivity. And I think what Ash meant in saying “they didn’t follow procedures” is that many of the staff who organized for a union vote didn’t bother to approach management at any time with most of their concerns prior to the meetings. Also, the ” secret meetings ” among a few part time staff to organize a union have caused a great divide among those who were invited and those who were left in the dark. I think it’s mean spirited of union representatives to poke fun of people who don’t understand/don’t agree with this process. It might be a better angle to educate workers instead of making them feel alienated.
This is so embarassing to baristas all over Halifax. I can’t believe I have to be associated with this
keep it up baristas! solidarity and love!
Are Women’s Studies majors still working as Baristas ?