Workers at Java Blend Coffee Roasters in Halifax have successfully unionized, marking the end of a prolonged dispute, according to SEIU Local 2.
After a settlement reached yesterday, the votes from a unionization effort a year ago were counted, resulting in 91% of workers opting to join the union, it said.
Andy Mawko, a worker leader, expressed pride in the achievement.
“We stood up for ourselves and fought for what was right. When we fight, we win,” said Andy Mawko, a worker leader.
Em Kristensen, another key organizer who was previously terminated, emphasized the union’s eagerness to begin negotiations.
The union’s victory encompasses a city-wide bargaining unit that includes Java Blend’s locations on North Street and Sackville in Halifax, the production and roastery warehouse on Borden Avenue in Dartmouth, as well as the Cortado Tasting Room in Bedford. An agreement has been reached to begin good faith bargaining soon, with a goal to finalize a collective agreement within four weeks.
The settlement also includes provisions for recalling terminated employees, whose dismissals were previously challenged through an Unfair Labour Practice complaint filed by SEIU, which has now been withdrawn, it said.
SEIU Local 2 represents 20,000 workers across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta.