Hilton Metrotown Workers Win Top Wage Standard in Burnaby

New collective agreement overwhelmingly ratified last night

Vancouver, BC — Hilton Metrotown workers have secured the highest wage standard for Burnaby’s hospitality workers after ratifying a new three-year agreement last night. The workers, represented by UNITE HERE Local 40, voted 97% in favour of the new collective agreement. Workers will receive a 21.5% wage increase over the term, setting a new industry-leading wage standard for suburban area hotel workers.

With Hilton Metrotown charging rates of nearly $500 per night or more, with some nights fully booked, the workers bargained a contract that enables them to share in the success of the hotel.

“I am so proud that we won major wage increases and raised the standard for local hotel workers. We take pride in the service we deliver to guests every day.  Our work should be valued, and this new contract allows us to support our families and keep doing the work we love,” said Michelle Catubig, a room attendant and member of the union bargaining committee.

Under the new agreement, the new Burnaby hotel wage standard will lift the room attendant wage to $28.10 per hour and the first cook wage to $31.67 per hour during the contract term.  Workers also secured increased incentive pay for valet and bell staff, greater gratuities for restaurant and room service staff, increased pay for department leads and training, in addition to enhancements to their paramedical and vision benefits, among other benefits.  The new agreement expires in 2028.

The gains for Hilton Metrotown workers follow other standard-setting contracts recently won by UNITE HERE Local 40 members across Downtown Vancouver and Richmond hotels and at Vancouver International Airport.

Media Contact: Michelle Travis, [email protected], 778-960-9785

Gate Gourmet YVR Workers Vote in favour to Ratify Deal, Becoming Highest Paid In-Flight Catering Crew in Canada

Richmond, BC – Gate Gourmet workers at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), represented by UNITE HERE Local 40, have overwhelmingly ratified a groundbreaking new contract.

The nearly 450 workers will see their wages rise by 14% by July 2028, marking one of the most significant gains for any in-flight catering workers in Canada. By the end of the contract, a Gate Gourmet worker will earn an average of $30 – $34 per hour, reflecting the essential nature of their work. Inflight catering workers prepare, pack and deliver food and beverages to aircraft in a high-pressure environment with tight turnaround times between flights.

“This contract is the result of workers standing strong together. We’re proud to have won raises that actually keep up with inflation and move these jobs closer to a real living wage. This round of bargaining was respectful and productive, and we’re especially proud that we reached this deal before the current contract expires in July,” said Surdiner Grewal, a transportation coordinator.

The new union contract also includes better dental coverage for workers and their families and increased pension contributions.

Gate Gourmet is one of the world’s largest independent providers of airline catering services, serving airport locations across the globe, including Vancouver International Airport, Toronto Pearson Airport and Calgary International Airport.

UNITE HERE Local 40 represents hospitality workers including hotels, airports, camp service, and food service workers across the province, and has recently secured major gains for workers in all of these areas.

Contact: Rifat Islam, [email protected], 604-619-0798

Coast Victoria Hotel Workers Issue 72-Hour Strike Notice, Paving Way for First Hotel Strike in Victoria in Decades

Victoria, B.C. – Workers at the Coast Victoria Hotel and Marina have issued 72-hour strike notice, setting the stage for the first hotel strike in Victoria since the 1980s. The notice was delivered Monday afternoon following a public rally outside the hotel where workers and supporters called for fair wages and respect on the job.

The 90 hotel workers, represented by BC’s hospitality union UNITE HERE Local 40, voted 93% in favour of strike action earlier this spring. After months of bargaining, workers say they are no closer to a fair agreement that reflects Victoria’s skyrocketing cost of living, despite living in the best performing hotel market across BC.

“Victoria is one of the most expensive cities in the country, but Coast workers are still making far below a living wage,” said Harj Aheer, Vancouver Island Representative for UNITE HERE Local 40. “This hotel has left workers with no choice but to take a stand.”

While hotel workers in Vancouver have raised industry standards – winning wage increases from $22 in 2019 to $33.16 as of July 1 – Victoria hotel wages have barely moved. Coast Victoria workers, many of whom earn $24 – $25 per hour, have only seen their wages rise by about $5 since 2019. The living wage in Victoria is now estimated at nearly $27 per hour.

“Hotel workers in Vancouver have shown what’s possible,” said Aheer. “Victoria workers deserve no less. This fight is about fairness, dignity, and making it possible to live and work in the same city.”

UNITE HERE Local 40 represents hospitality workers across the province, including hotel, airport, camp, and food service workers. The union has secured major gains for hospitality workers in recent contracts throughout B.C.

Media Contact: Rifat Islam | [email protected] | 604-619-0798

Press Release: Paradies Lagardère Lowers YVR Airport Job Standards Ahead of World Cup, Says New Report

Vancouver, BC – A new report from UNITE HERE Local 40 scrutinizes Vancouver International Airport’s partnership with Paradies Lagardère—a concessions operator that, according to workers, pays low wages and provides precarious schedules.

YVR, consistently ranked the #1 airport in North America, became a certified Living Wage Employer in 2022. Despite this commitment, the report, What’s Wrong with Paradies at North America’s #1 Airport, details how concession workers employed by Paradies Lagardère remain trapped in low-wage, precarious jobs while their counterparts at other food and retail outlets move toward living wages.

For example, baristas at its Pacific Farms Market earn BC’s minimum wage of $17.85 per hour—a 43% gap compared to competitors like SSP and HMSHost, where employees will earn over $25/hour in 2025. Paradies operates approximately 16 retail and food units across the airport. According to wage data and reports by workers, the average wage earned was $18.49/hour—46% below the regional living wage of $27.05.

“These jobs are overwhelmingly staffed by racialized immigrant women who welcome the world to Vancouver. Paradies workers are being left behind,” said Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40.

The report raises concerns that YVR’s continued relationship with Paradies may erode job standards across the airport:

  • Low Wages and Tip Concerns: Paradies workers earn, on average, $18.49/hour—46% below the regional living wage of $27.05. Some workers also reported a lack of transparency around cash tips and no access to electronic tipping.
  • Precarious Scheduling: Employees said they were routinely given fewer than 20 hours a week, even if they had been hired as for a full-time position.
  • Allegations of Labour Rights Violations: A known union supporter was fired one day after workers voted to unionize at Pacific Farms Market. A complaint has been filed with the BC Labour Relations Board.
  • Health and Safety Red Flags: Paradies operations in U.S. airports have faced shutdowns and repeated food safety violations in the past two years due to pest infestations, poor hygiene, and a lack of trained staff.

Paradies’ parent company, Paradies Lagardère Travel Retail division, reported €5.8 billion in revenue in 2024 and a record €305 million in recurring profits, yet continues to resist living wage policies that competitors at YVR have embraced.

“No worker should fear losing their job because they demand a living wage,” Chan said. “With the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, YVR has a chance to position itself as a leader among Vancouver’s key institutions as a host city. We must convene all stakeholders and ensure that the benefits of increased international travel are shared fairly with the workers and communities who make that success possible––just like airports in Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, where concessions operators are required to pay living wages.”

UNITE HERE Local 40 is calling on the Vancouver Airport Authority to:

  • Condition all of Paradies’ future concession contracts on the payment of a living wage, as defined by Living Wage BC.
  • Deny contracts to operators who interfere with workers’ right to organize or who have committed labour violations.
  • Guarantee stable scheduling and adequate hours for full-time workers at Paradies.

“YVR has the power to shape the kind of airport we want—one where no worker is left behind,” said Chan. “Paradies should not be rewarded for cutting costs on the backs of women and immigrant workers.”

 CONTACT: Nate Holers, 250-889-7682, [email protected]

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 UNITE HERE Local 40 is British Columbia’s hospitality workers union representing workers in airport concessions, airline catering, hotels and food service.

 

Media Advisory: Hilton Metrotown Workers to Advise Customers, Community on Escalating Actions in Push for New Wage Standard in Burnaby

Press Conference to be held this Friday at Noon

Vancouver, BC – Hilton Metrotown workers are proud to welcome guests to Burnaby’s finest hotel but are earning far less than their peers in Downtown Vancouver and Vancouver Airport hotels. With hotel room rates at Hilton Metrotown selling from nearly $400 to $700 per night – and some nights completely sold out – the workers, many of whom live in Burnaby, are fighting for their fair share.  The hotel staff, represented by UNITE HERE Local 40, will hold a press conference this Friday to advise prospective guests on the current status of collective bargaining; the workers’ collective agreement expired on May 31.

Their last collective agreement was secured after a 13-month labour dispute during the pandemic. Workers and customers will also hold a demonstration at the hotel Friday evening at 6:30pm.

WHAT: UNITE HERE Local 40 Press Conference

WHO: Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40, and Hilton Metrotown workers.

WHERE: Hilton Metrotown Hotel, 6083 McKay Avenue, Burnaby, BC

WHEN: Friday, June 6 at 12:00pm

VISUALS: Workers and their supporters at Hilton Vancouver Metrotown holding signs and carrying flags.

CONTACTS: Michelle Travis, 778-960-9785, [email protected] or Rifat Islam, 604-619-0798, [email protected]

UNITE HERE Local 40 is the hospitality workers’ union and represents members in the hotel, food service and airport industries throughout British Columbia.