Business owner proud of employees and looks forward to productive relationship
In a world of Loblaws, be more like Coven Market, say the employees of the small vegan bakery, deli and grocery store in Hamilton, Ontario.
“We’re really lucky to have a place where people can come and shop for vegan goods that’s not owned by some huge greedy corporation,” said Sam Webster, one of the store employees and a member of the Union bargaining committee. “When you come and shop here, you’re supporting a small local business.”
Sam is referring to Coven Market at 949 Main Street East, near Gage Park.
After building a strong majority in support of forming a Union, Sam and her co-workers filed an application for Trade Union Certification at the Labour Relations Board on April 9, 2024. The employer voluntarily recognized their Union the following day. A month later, the workers had ratified their first Collective Agreement.
“I have always been a staunch supporter of Unions,” said KW Campol, one of Coven’s owners. “We have had a sign behind our register since day one that reads ‘the weight of the world rests on the back of its workers,’ and we believe that wholeheartedly.”
“This is definitely a fantastic place to work,” added Sam, “but we felt like there were a few tweaks that we could make that would make it even better. A big part of it is just having a voice, and we’re very lucky that we have employers that are very understanding and pro union.”
In a time when families struggle to put food on the table, large Canadian grocers are making record profits. They also fight their workers tooth and nail when they look to make improvements. With soaring prices, largely due to the large grocery chains’ “greedflation,” community food stores like Coven offer an important and feel-good alternative.
“The delegates of the Hamilton and District Labour were thrilled to see that the Coven was not only recently organized, unionized, and with a first collective agreement in place, but that this occurred with the cooperation of management and SIEU Local 2 from the early going,” said Anthony Marco, president of the Hamilton and District Labour Council.
“It’s heartening to see that owner/operators in the food service industry realize that the value of a unionized staff is also a commitment to experience and expertise while establishing pathways to a healthier staff that feels valued and stays with their employer for the longer term,” he added.
The two-year deal includes wages increases to $20 per hour, additional paid sick days, improved medical benefits, paid bereavement leave, and more.
“We have always encouraged our staff to be on the lookout for their best interests and their rights and when they decided to unionize, we couldn’t have been prouder,” said Campol. “Coven, and all businesses, can thrive with the support of a strong, unionized work force.”
“Any small to mid-range business who wonders only about what the problems of unions might be for them, might consider the continuity and security in workers who feel valued,” said Marco. “Also, on behalf of the 50,000 affiliated, union members of the Hamilton and District Labour Council, when we commit to “Buy Union” we look to employers like Coven as best options for our future business in Hamilton.”
“We had noticed that there were things we thought would be better if the workers had the power to control,” said Sam. And now they will.
For all of the cries of attrition and turnover in workplaces these days, the workers at Coven know that they now share an agreement to making the business as successful as possible and that they share in that success through future rounds of bargaining.
Any small to mid-range business who wonders only about what the problems of unions might be for them, might consider the continuity and security in workers who feel valued. Also, on behalf of the 50,000 affiliated, union members of the Hamilton and District Labour Council, when we commit to “Buy Union” we look to employers like Coven as best options for our future business in Hamilton.
Coven’s Story
Coven started out in 2015 as Rescue Dogs Vegan, a hot dog cart hand crafting vegan hot dogs & donating a portion to animal rescue. When they moved to Hamilton in 2017, they started looking for a new production space and found one on Barton Street where they decided to start selling their wholesale goods and select vegan groceries as a means to help pay for the space. Fast forward a month into opening and the grocery aspect was so busy they closed the hot dog cart and focused on the storefront, which was named coven, full time. From there they grew to the Main St. location with 10 wonderful employees Coven has always been about offering plant-based items at affordable prices with home cooked items you can’t find anywhere else. For a look at their products, check out their IG account.
