Calgary Coffee Workers: Union Drive Gains Momentum Amid New Rules

CALGARY, AB — Calgary coffee workers filed paperwork with the Alberta Labour Relations Board today to form a union, marking the latest push in what's become a steady wave of service-sector organizing across the city.

The certification application hit the board's desk this morning—the same day new ALRB procedural rules took effect, tightening filing requirements and timelines. The timing is coincidental, but the broader trend isn't: this is the fourth significant union drive in Calgary's service and distribution sectors in the past eight months.

The Process Now

Under Alberta's Labour Relations Code, the union needed signed membership cards from at least 40% of workers to file. The board will now review the application, and if it clears procedural hurdles, a secret ballot vote follows. A simple majority wins certification, granting the union exclusive bargaining rights for wages, benefits, and working conditions.

Neither the specific coffee shop nor the union filing the application has been publicly identified yet. The number of workers in the proposed bargaining unit also remains unclear.

The Friction

Employers can legally argue their case to the ALRB and speak to workers about unionization—but cannot intimidate or coerce. That's the line. Bill 32, passed in 2020 under the Kenney government, shifted the calculus: it requires unions to separate dues into "core" (bargaining) and "non-core" (political) buckets, with workers opting in to the latter. Labour advocates have called it a structural handcuff.

If the drive succeeds, the employer faces negotiations that typically push up labor costs. If it fails, the workers wait a year before they can try again.

The Pattern

This isn't an isolated play. In July 2022, a Calgary Starbucks became the first in Alberta to unionize, joining the United Steelworkers and securing a 5% wage bump in its first contract. Last July, United Food and Commercial Workers filed for 14 Dot Transportation workers. In November, CUPE Local 8 applied to represent 87 support staff at an AgeCare facility. And in January, CUPE Local 2559 filed an application accusing the YMCA of Northern Alberta of "unionbusting" after a worker termination during an organizing drive.

Across Alberta's public sector, the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees voted 90% in favor of strike action last May after a year of stalled wage talks with the Smith government.

What Happens Next

The ALRB will investigate the application, verify card signatures, and determine whether a vote is warranted. That process typically takes weeks. The workers, the employer, and the union now enter a holding pattern—waiting for the board to set the next date on the calendar.