Crossroads Lodge Hospitality Workers in Kitimat Win Immediate 10% Wage Increase and Groundbreaking Workload Protections

New agreement averts strike and possible disruption to LNG Canada pipeline project

 

Kitimat, BC – Yesterday, hospitality workers at Crossroads Lodge voted 88% in favour to ratify their new collective agreement. The workers – including room attendants, kitchen staff, janitors, and guest service agents – are represented by UNITE HERE Local 40.

 

In the new one-year contract, workers have won immediate 10% wage increases and groundbreaking workload protections for housekeeping and kitchen staff. Crossroads Lodge houses up to 800 LNG Canada pipeline workers and Kitimat construction workers. The agreement between the Lodge workers and Horizon North, operator of Crossroads Lodge, was reached following mediation and averts a strike at the LNG Canada construction site.

 

Under the new agreement, Crossroads Lodge staff now earn over a living wage and can better support themselves and their families in British Columbia. Workers have also bargained standard-setting workload protections for kitchen staff and housekeepers to combat continued understaffing in the hospitality industry.

 

“My co-workers and I are thrilled about our victory at Crossroads Lodge! We were overworked and underpaid, but now we have a contract that gives us the respect we deserve. We feel like we have a brighter future with the pay increases we received, and the monumental shift in kitchen and housekeeping workloads was much needed – it will help keep these jobs sustainable for us for years to come. I hope our win, as well as the victory at Cedar Valley Lodge in Kitimat, will inspire hospitality workers across the province to stand up for their rights; through the power of collective action, we can win fairness and dignity for all workers,” said Kathy Wallace, a Second Cook who has worked at Crossroads Lodge for four years.

 

UNITE HERE Local 40 represents approximately 1,000 remote camp hospitality workers across BC. This July, Local 40 Sodexo members at nearby Cedar Valley Lodge voted in favour of their new collective agreement which also included substantial pay increases and established workload protections. Local 40 also represents workers at Sitka Lodge in Kitimat, and LNG custodians involved in the energy project.

 

Media Contact: Sharan Pawa, 604-710-1693, sharan@unitehere40.com

Media Advisory: TODAY – Hospitality Workers to Protest Air Canada at YVR Airport

Hotel workers demand Air Canada respect Richmond picket lines

 

Richmond, BC – TODAY striking Sheraton Vancouver Airport hotel workers – represented by UNITE HERE Local 40 – will hold a protest outside of the Air Canada gates at Vancouver International Airport (YVR). The airline has been sending passengers to the Hilton Vancouver Airport and Marriott Vancouver Airport hotels in Richmond, where picket lines are up.

The Sheraton, Hilton, and Marriott Vancouver Airport hotels in Richmond – operated by Larco Hospitality – form British Columbia’s largest hotel complex. The hotels regularly accommodate large flight crews landing at YVR Airport as well as airline passengers who have experienced flight delays. Sheraton Vancouver Airport workers launched their strike on June 14 in their fight for living wages. Since then, five airlines have withdrawn their business from the hotel complex in solidarity with the striking workers – WestJet, Porter Airlines, UPS, American Airlines, and Japan Airlines.

Last week, the BC Labour Board deemed the three hotels a common site and is permitting striking workers to picket the perimeter of the hotels. The extended picket line runs from 7am-7pm daily and affects guests staying at the non-union Hilton and Marriott hotels. Despite this, Air Canada continues to send flight passengers over the picket line to the two hotels.

The BC Federation of Labour has declared a public boycott of the Sheraton, Hilton, and Marriott Vancouver Airport hotels. The BCFED boycott in Richmond extends to an unrelated hotel, Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport, where workers are also on strike.

 

WHEN: TODAY – August 4 at 10:00 AM

WHO: Striking Sheraton Vancouver Airport hotel workers

WHERE: Vancouver International Airport (YVR), Air Canada Gates

VISUALS: Hotel workers chanting, marching, and speaking with colourful banners, signs, and bullhorns.

 

Media Contact: Sharan Pawa, 604-710-1693, sharan@unitehere40.com

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Media Advisory: Crossroads Lodge Labour Dispute Update

Kitimat, BC – Workers at Crossroads Lodge – represented by UNITE HERE Local 40 – and the Employer are currently in negotiations. Workers have voted in favour of strike action, but no action will take place until our negotiation process is concluded.

Crossroads Lodge staff are seeking an equal wage increase to Building Trades workers at the LNG Canada camp, who received a 12% raise last year, and calling for stronger workload protections. The collective agreement expired on May 10.

 

Media Contact: Sharan Pawa, 604-710-1693, sharan@unitehere40.com

BREAKING: Kitimat Hospitality Workers at Crossroads Lodge Authorize Strike

Second threat of Kitimat hospitality worker strike in recent weeks, risk of pipeline disruption

 

Kitimat, BC – This weekend, hospitality workers at Horizon North Crossroads Lodge have voted 100% in favour of strike action. The workers – including room attendants, kitchen staff, servers, janitors and front desk agents – are represented by UNITE HERE Local 40. The 800 rooms at Crossroads Lodge house LNG Canada pipeline workers and Kitimat construction workers. Projects in the surrounding area would be affected by strike action as alternative mass worker accommodations in the Kitimat region are not available.

The collective agreement at Crossroads Lodge expired on May 10, with workers and management far away on key issues at the bargaining table. Workers, many who earn less than a living wage, are asking for fair pay that allow them to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of living in British Columbia. Lodge workers are seeking an equal wage increase to Building Trades workers at the LNG Canada camp, who received a 12% raise last year. Crossroads Lodge staff are also in need of workload protections as they are expected to take on heavy and unstainable workloads caused by understaffing.

“Crossroads Lodge workers deserve respect for the work we do in Kitimat, and this strike vote demonstrates how we stand united for the wages and workload we need. We want to continue to provide our services and create a home away from home those staying and working here, but we don’t want to be overlooked anymore. The Sodexo workers’ victory at Cedar Valley Lodge proves how valuable hospitality workers are in this region, and like them, we hope to reach a deal soon and avoid strike action”, said Kathy Wallace, a Second Cook who has worked at Crossroads Lodge for four years.

On July 22, hundreds of Local 40 members at nearby Cedar Valley Lodge voted 100% in favour of their new collective agreement which included substantial pay increases, setting a new wage standard for BC camp hospitality workers. Their new contract also established workload protections for kitchen, janitorial and housekeeping staff.

The Union and the employer are currently in mediation.

 

Media contact: Sharan Pawa, 602-710-1693, sharan@unitehere40.com

Picket Lines Up at Marriott Vancouver Airport and Hilton Vancouver Airport Hotels

Union granted extended picket line in second month of strike

Richmond, BC – The BC Labour Board has declared that Sheraton Vancouver Airport workers, represented by UNITE HERE Local 40, have the right to picket outside of its non-union sister hotels next door – the Hilton Vancouver Airport and Marriott Vancouver Airport Hotels, operated by the same company, Larco Hospitality. On Wednesday, the Labour Board deemed the three hotels a common site and is permitting striking workers to picket the perimeter of the hotels.

Picketing now takes place 7am to 7pm on Westminster Highway from the western edge of the Sheraton Vancouver Airport hotel to Minoru Boulevard; Minoru Boulevard from Westminster Highway to Elmbridge Way; and Elmbridge Way from Minoru Boulevard to the western edge of the Sheraton.

The Sheraton, Hilton and Marriott Vancouver airport hotels in Richmond form British Columbia’s largest hotel complex, regularly accommodating large flight crews landing at YVR Vancouver Airport as well as airline passengers who have experienced flight delays. The extended picket line will affect guests staying at the Hilton and Marriott hotels, including airline staff and passengers.

Sheraton Vancouver Airport workers walked off the job on June 14 in their fight for living wages that would allow them to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of living in Metro Vancouver. On July 17, the Labour Board declared that the Sheraton Vancouver Airport violated the Labour Code by rebooking rooms for Porter, UPS, and Xiamen flight crews from the Sheraton to neighbouring Marriot and Hilton Vancouver Airport hotels. Sheraton Vancouver Airport was also found to have wrongfully rebooked rooms for Air Canada and West Jet’s passengers from the Sheraton to the other two hotels, attempting to retain hotel business and undermine the strike action.

The BC Federation of Labour has declared a public boycott of the Sheraton, Hilton and Marriott Vancouver Airport hotels. The BCFED boycott in Richmond extends to an unrelated hotel, Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport, where workers are also on strike. The public is advised to find alternate accommodations at River Rock Casino Resort or the Radisson on Cambie.

Media Contact: Sharan Pawa, 604-710-1693, sharan@unitehere40.com