Starbucks employee penalized for unionizing past store: Employment Lawyer Insight on CTV News

Interview Summary

A Starbucks employee in Vancouver has been terminated just months after unionizing the company’s Dunbar location.

While the worker claims that her dismissal was retaliation for unionizing the store, the coffee giant has denied the allegations.

What are employees’ rights concerning unionizing? Can employers penalize employees who choose to unionize or discuss the topic at the workplace?

Alex Lucifero, an Ottawa employment lawyer and Managing Partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, joined CTV News Ottawa with Matt Skube to answer these questions and more on employee rights.

Interview Notes

• Employees’ rights to organize: An employee cannot be terminated for trying to unionize a workplace. All provinces across the country have employment laws in place that prevent employers from penalizing employees for attempting to form a union.
• Severance for employees: Terminating a unionized employee’s job is much more difficult than a non-unionized employee. A non-unionized employee can be terminated without cause for any reason as long as adequate severance is paid. Alternatively, unionized employees are owed severance based on the terms of their collective agreement.
• Fines and consequences for employers: Employers that are found to have penalized or terminated employees for their attempts to unionize can face additional legal and financial consequences, such as fines enforced by the labour board.