Union calls for boycott, alleges union busting
HALIFAX, N.S. — Terminated Java Blend employees, union organizers and supportive citizens rallied in front of the North Street coffee shop in Halifax on Sunday.
They called for a boycott of all Java Blend’s coffee shops, Java Blend Wholesale, the
Cortado Tasting Room in Bedford and Coastal Wholesale.
The businesses all share the same ownership.
“They just need to pick up the phone and agree to the certification (of the union),” said Calen Pygott.
He was one of nine employees of Java Blend whose positions were terminated in January. Four of those nine were members of an organizing committee formed to unionize Java Blend’s workers.
The move resulted in the Service Employees International Union Local 2 filing a complaint with the Nova Scotia Labour Board alleging the terminations were a direct attempt at union busting by Java Blend.
“… the impacted workers, who are living paycheck-topaycheck, have been told that they will only receive desperately needed severance if they give up their rights under the Trade Union Act,” reads the complaint, which seeks the workers reinstatement along with general and pecuniary damages.
“For the reasons which are further particularized in this complaint, the employer’s conduct has all the hallmarks of an orchestrated campaign of retaliation aimed at crushing workers’ rights.”
THE COMPANY'S RESPONSE
The company claims that the layoffs were the result of financial difficulties and that they are not attempting to interfere in union certification.
“As we have previously communicated, nine employees were laid off in January
due to extreme financial difficulties after having first exhausted all other options. Layoffs have been part of our cost saving measures in the past. The most recent layoffs in January were solely in response to our financial reality and unrelated to the certification application.
“We have been fully transparent with the union regarding our finances and the selection process for the layoffs,” wrote Alex Lee, one of the owners, in a written response to The Chronicle Herald on Sunday.
“As we approach our busier season, we started to recall some employees who were laid off. We will continue to do so as our financial circumstances allow."
Lee noted that a recent hearing was held by the Labour Board to determine if the union’s scope – including various job titles across different companies in varied locations – was too broad.
“We will respect whatever decision the board makes,” reads the statement.
“The vote will be counted after theboard makes its decision.”
NON-STARTER
Earlier this month, mediation was held between the union and the owners at the behest of the Labour Board to seek a solution to the unfair labour practices complaint.
Pygott said on Sunday that he wasn’t allowed to say what was in the offer that came from the owners but did say “it was a non-starter and incredibly insulting.”
If certified, Java Blend workers would be the second coffee shop to unionize. The former
Just-us Coffee shop on Spring Garden Road was unionized under the SEIU Local 2 in 2013. It is still unionized but it is now a worker-owned cooperative named Glitter Bean.
Tina Oh, an organizer with the SEIU, said that with the cost of living crisis and the changing economy they are seeing a resurgence in workers desiring to unionize.
“I think COVID was definitely a trigger, another major trigger is that we’re seeing a lot of unions finally saying they’ve
had enough and they’re actually going on strike,” said Oh.
“They are passing strike votes, really strong strike mandates, the PSAC, the Teachers Union, Pete’s workers – that was rare, we don’t see many private sector, low-wage workers strikes … There’s been a resurgence in POSTCOVID years where workers, especially young workers are not only organizing and forming their unions but they are taking more militant actions than we have ever seen.”