Starbucks Partners at Millrise Centre Coffeehouse Vote to End Union Representation 

Today, the Alberta Labour Relations Board (ALRB) informed Starbucks that partners (employees) at the Millrise Centre coffeehouse in Calgary, Alberta, voted to end their representation by the United Steelworkers (USW), effective immediately. 

The secret-ballot vote was conducted on July 13 and 14. A majority of participating partners voted in favour of ending the United Steelworkers’ representation rights at the location. 

Starbucks Sherwood Drive location was the first Canada store to vote for revocation from the United Steelworkers union in September 2024. Since then, several certified Starbucks locations have voted to end union representation. Millrise Centre is the fifth Starbucks coffeehouse in Canada to vote in favour of ending representation by the union over the past two years. 

Union representation is a personal choice upheld by the complex framework of Canadian labour law, and Starbucks respects the right of all partners to make their own decisions regarding union representation, whether they choose to be represented by a union or not. 

Starbucks operates more than 900 stores across Canada, of which 12 stores are currently represented by the United Steelworkers, with only one certified coffeehouse remaining in Alberta. Starbucks and the United Steelworkers have six collective agreements in place, while the remaining represented stores are at various stages of the collective bargaining process.