Second Cup franchise owner Kathy Attis disciplined and fired three employees following a union vote, she told the Nova Scotia Labour Board this month. After a union drive at her Quinpool Road cafe, she cut employees’ hours and fired three baristas, but said she did so to maintain order in the cafe.
When employees made up their minds to unionize, they felt entitled to run the cafe, she argued. “I’ve changed from a coach to a disciplinarian in the store. I like being a coach better,” she told the Labour Board.
Current and former employees painted a picture of a boss who intimidated, punished and fired staff after a union vote on June 5. SEIU lawyer Bruce Price argued Attis’ actions contravened the Trade Union Act. Following the vote, Attis cut employees’ hours dramatically, employees testified.
Attis said she cut their hours because labour costs were far too high. Sales were down at the cafe prior to the dismissals, Attis and barista Shelby Kennedy testified. Financial records disclosed at the hearing confirmed this.
Attis said her accountant delivered the financial records the same day she received notification employees wanted to unionize. However, she said she wasn’t immediately aware of the unionization attempt because she had not looked at the hand-delivered notification, and did not see a union photo in the cafe.
SEIU Local 2 representative Jason Edwards testified that an unknown person posted the photo of six employees holding union cards with the caption “We’re voting yes!” The colourful photo was posted on a bulletin board that Attis passed every day, employees testified.
Attis said she first noticed the photo weeks later, in mid-to-late June, after she fired the employees. Of the six employees in the photo, Attis fired three, one quit and two continue to work at the store.
The Labour Board will make a ruling in coming weeks.
This article appears in Aug 29 – Sep 4, 2013.
if your losing money anyways a union would just cause the business to lose even more money, considering financial records back her up well it does make a lot of sense. Don’t unionize fire 3 workers unionize shut down the store and fire all workers, what is worse?
Fire these entitled losers. Working in a coffee shop is not something that needs to be unionized. These idiots give real unions (one’s that protect their members from abuse and dangerous work hazards) a bad name.
Brandicox, what are you trying to say? The garble has me totally confused.
If coffee shops cannot afford to pay workers a living wage then they SHOULD shut down. That goes for all businesses. The way that we distribute income is through work – if work does not provide enough to live on it should be outlawed just like slavery. A few low paid part time jobs for “kids” in school is one thing, but now these are life long jobs. Unions are the only way that we have to even the playing field at work. I don’t think owners should have more rights than workers, though they do need to get the work done. Waaayyy too many people are now in precarious, part time work and it is actually destroying the economy. The only way too many workers can buy ANYTHING, even a bus pass, is to go into debt. Want an education to get a better job ?. . . (Theoretically) then you accumulate $40-80,00 in debt and in many cases the work is still low paid and precarious. We have to come together as a society to make the world livable again. I am a grandmother but have one adult child at home as he cannot make enough to live on his own with two kids, as a single Dad. He’s a good worker who had a great job at Blackberry til they laid off his entire classification. Now he can get minimum wage, part time, call centre jobs. I do not even know what to tell him about what course he might take to be able to get full time, decently waged, work. And even if does go back to school he is looking at accumulating a big debt. Things are not working and have to change. Unionizing, currently low paid, precarious, work (so that it is neither of those things) is an imperative.
This is a ridiculous situation. These are not career jobs, these are transitional jobs, usually part time, with no long-term future. Unionization of such work is absurd.
Ummm, these Baristas (LOL) apply for the jobs …. and accept the terms and conditions …. and accept the wage ….. then, whamo – this is not good enough for them and they want more – why not look for a real job while you are pouring hot water over a tea-bag?
What would paying workers a fair wage add to the price of a cup of coffee? How much would the margin be affected? The fast-food workers in the US are asking for a considerable increase to what they are stating would be a living wage and the it is being said this will add 10 cents to a Big Mac. Is this too much to accept for customers? I personally always feel a lot better when I am dealing with a merchant who treats their employees with respect. I give the union a lot of credit for standing up for these brave folks. Wishing them all the best. The sooner I can support busnesses that clearly looks after and cares for their employees
Three points: the employees accepted the offer of employment fully aware of the pay and conditions; this is not dangerous work insofar that employees’ health or safety is at issue; nor is this a job that requires special skills or expertise
I’ll have sympathy for the unions ONCE they unionise Tim’s house of swill.