Airdrie woman claims she was fired by Starbucks over cancer symptoms

An Airdrie resident is suing Starbucks Canada for allegedly firing her because she has cancer.

According to a statement of claim filed with Court of King’s Bench in Calgary, Lisa Pedersen alleges she was wrongfully fired on May 2, 2021 from the Dickson’s Crossing Starbucks in Airdrie for violating the franchise’s COVID-19 policy because she came to work with COVID-like symptoms. But according to Pedersen’s claim, the symptoms were actually associated with her multiple blood cancer diagnoses. 

Pedersen said in a statement released to the media last Wednesday that she suffers both from polycythemia vera and acute myeloid leukemia, which both have a low survival probability.

Pedersen, who was a single mother of three at the time of her firing, is seeking $850,000 from Starbucks Canada to for loss of benefits since being fired – $250,000 for loss of life insurance, $250,000 in lost benefits associated with taking care of a “developmentally disabled child,” and $350,000 in unspecified lost benefits, to which Pedersen argues she was entitled. 

The Courts could potentially order further punitive damages be awarded to Pedersen and her family, if ultimately ruling in her favour.

According to Pedersen’s media statement, she had hoped to work at Starbucks over the long term before she found out she was fired.

“Working at Starbucks allowed me to solely support my family, financially, medically, and let’s not forget the fact that I was able to serve customers and create great relationships with my community,” she said. “This job would be it, I planned on retiring with this company.”

Pedersen admits in her statement she went to work with symptoms of illness while working for Starbucks. But these, she reiterated, were due to her underlying cancers.

“Starbucks fired me for going to work sick, handling food while sick, and not following COVID protocol,” she said. “Starbucks’ policy is three write ups for termination and my district manager wrote them all up in one day, and terminated me along with my manager over the phone.”

Since her dismissal from Starbucks, Pedersen said her life has been a struggle, with treatments and odd working hours at her new job making it difficult to see her children. With an inferior benefit plan, she said she’s had to hire a caretaker to get her child to and from school and take him to appointments.

“Starbucks stole that away from me, and, I feel, punished me for having cancer,” Pedersen said.

Pedersen alleges Starbucks Canada has not lived up to its own professed standards when it comes to fair treatment of employees.

“My life insurance policy I had with Starbucks was canceled for being terminated, and now I don’t qualify because of the cancer,” she said. “The company which I once loved has now left us in terrible position for all of our future.”

The Airdrie City View has reached out to Starbucks Canada for a statement on Pedersen’s lawsuit, but had not received any response from the company prior to press time.