Starbucks workers in Hamilton hope to tackle wage, customer harassment issues in negotiating 1st contract

Workers at the Starbucks on 112 King St. E. in Hamilton voted to join United Steelworkers earlier this month. (Justin Chandler/CBC)Social SharingA group of downtown Hamilton Starbucks workers has unionized in an attempt to address issues including harassment by customers and an unclear wage structure, the United Steelworkers union (USW) says.

Employees at the Starbucks by Gore Park reached out to USW to join and voted in a process supervised by the Ontario Ministry of Labour in early September, local USW co-ordinator John Catto told CBC Hamilton. 

This is at least the sixth Starbucks location in Ontario to organize with USW, Catto said Wednesday. The union also represents Western Canada workers with the coffeehouse chain.

In May 2025, USW announced shops in Ajax, Kitchener-Waterloo and Toronto had negotiated their first collective agreements. 

"We felt that without [a union] we didn’t really have a voice," one of the Hamilton workers said in an interview Thursday.

CBC is not naming them out of concerns speaking out will negatively impact their employment.

The worker, a barista at the 112 King St. E. location, has been with the company for several years.

The barista said they reached out to USW about unionizing because they remembered hearing about a Kitchener store joining, and thought it would be the worker's best shot at tackling workplace issues that employees felt managers weren't addressing. 

CBC Hamilton asked Starbucks to respond to the workers' concerns.

In an emailed statement Tuesday, spokesperson Mary Franssen said the company's success "starts and ends" with its employees. In July, the company reported $9.3 billion in revenues for the 13-week period ending on June 28, 2026.

"We respect the right of all partners to make their own decisions regarding unions, whether they favour or oppose representation, and will continue to work together to make Starbucks the best job in retail."

Franssen didn't directly address the issues in the union's news release.

In August, Starbucks Workers United, a union representing what it says is more than 12,000 baristas in the U.S., called for a public boycott of the store until the workers there, calling for higher wages and better working conditions, get a contract.

The newly unionized Hamilton workers don't yet have dates for negotiating a collective agreement, Catto said.

He hopes to meet with the workers soon to help get that process started.

USW will reach out to other unionized Starbucks locations to learn from their contract negotiations, Catto added.

The Hamilton barista said it has been awkward between employees and managers at work since the Starbucks in the city organized, but they're hopeful a collective agreement can improve conditions and raise the bar at other locations. 

"I see this as being able to be a beacon of hope for other stores," they said. 

They also said customers have congratulated the workers on unionizing.

In 2023, Starbucks closed its only unionized shop in Vancouver.

USW brought a complaint before the B.C. Labour Relations Board. In February 2025, the board found the company had legitimate reasons to shut down the Vancouver location, but found Starbucks wrongfully made "threats of adverse consequences" against a union-supporting employee.

Catto said that to his knowledge, no Starbucks workers have lost their jobs for unionizing with USW in Ontario.  

In recent years, employees at similar workplaces to Starbucks have unionized in Hamilton, including at Coven Market and the café Democracy.

Democracy closed in December, and workers raised questions about the timing. 

The Hamilton barista said they think any worker curious about organizing their workplace should reach out to a union and ask about the process. 

"I've been a unionized worker for 30 years or so," he said. "The union dues that I pay have been worth every penny. If anybody's employer is not treating them in a manner that is fair or treating them without dignity and respect, then you probably need a union."

Justin Chandler is a CBC News reporter in Hamilton. He covers stories of all kinds from places including picket lines, court rooms, council meetings and research labs. Justin has a special interest in how public policy affects people, and loves a quirky human-interest story. Before CBC Hamilton, he worked for TVO and on a variety of CBC teams and programs. He co-hosted Radio Free Krypton on Met Radio.