Even a Unionized Starbucks Now!

Sodexho at U of T Join UNITE SEIU

Nearly 240 employees at the University of Toronto unionize with UNITE HERE, SEIU TORONTO – Another 238 Sodexho cooks, servers and cashiers in Toronto have voted to unionize after a joint campaign run by UNITE HERE and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Canada.

“These Sodexho workers will join their brothers and sister at Christie Gardens and St. Michael’s College in improving their working lives,” says Alex Dagg, Canadian Director of UNITE HERE. “This vote is the culmination of over a year of hard work by these new members to form a union. We are proud that they have chosen UNITE HERE.”

The application for certification was filed with the Ontario Labour Relations Board on April 12. The vote was held on April 19 for Sodexho employees working at New College, Medical Sciences Building (MSB), Robarts Library and the Starbucks outlets across the campus, among other work sites.

“Our two unions have again demonstrated how solidarity helps working people improve their lives,” says Sharleen Stewart, International Canadian Vice President with SEIU. “SEIU would like to congratulate the Sodexho workers at the University of Toronto on their decision to form a union.”

“Sodexho is a successful multi-national company and all Sodexho workers contribute to that success,” says Ali Shahbazi, who works at the Robarts Library. “Having a union means having a voice, better wages, better working conditions and ensuring we are always treated with respect.”

Sodexho is a large, multi-national corporation that provides food services and facilities management to corporations, schools and health-care facilities. The company boasts over $5.5-billion U.S. in annual sales and employs 130,000 workers at 6,000 locations in North America.

UNITE HERE is a union representing over 50,000 members in Canada and more than 440,000 people across North America.

SEIU is North America’s largest and fastest growing union. SEIU represents 1.8 million members, with 93,000 in Canada.


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