Unionized Starbucks store in Vancouver to close as lease expires

VANCOUVER – One of the few unionized Starbucks stores in British Columbia is closing at the end of September.

Leanna Rizzi, a spokeswoman for the coffee chain, confirmed the closure of the Dunbar Street location in Vancouver via email, saying it’s due to a natural lease expiry.

She says the store is one of the smallest in the Starbucks portfolio, and it wasn’t possible to make necessary investments to renovate it, but workers will have the opportunity to transfer to a nearby location.

Twenty-two workers at the cafe voted to join the United Steelworkers Union in February, becoming one of a handful of unionized Starbucks locations in B.C. represented by that union.

The United Steelworkers Union also represents some Starbucks stores in Alberta and Ontario.

The most recent Starbucks store to join the Steelworkers was in Ajax, Ont., where workers voted to join at the end of August.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2023.