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

Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport Violated Labour Laws During Strike

Richmond, BC – Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport hotel has admitted to engaging in multiple violations of labour laws during a protracted strike by its hotel workers.  On Wednesday, the BC Labour Relations Board declared in a consent order that the employer breached the labour code by illegally using replacement workers to do the work of striking UNITE HERE members.

Workers have been on strike at the hotel, formerly Pacific Gateway, for over two years.  They struck after the employer terminated 143 long-term workers – mostly women – during the pandemic and demanded drastic concessions from remaining workers. Strikers have picketed the hotel daily since May 3, 2021; a customer boycott is also in effect.

The employer, an affiliate of PHI Hotel Group, was caught using impermissible workers to do housekeeping and maintenance work.  The employer was also found to have used four unlawful replacement workers, hired through a contractor, to perform the work of striking bargaining unit members.

The Labour Board ordered the employer to cease and desist from using impermissible replacement workers and ordered the employer to provide several disclosures on work performed at the hotel.  These include providing the Union with a daily breakdown of tasks performed by all managers hired after the hotel was given notice to bargain, and a daily list of all employees, contractors and subcontractors working in the hotel each day with their respective work assignments. The employer will also be required to provide hotel occupancy information to the Union.

“There is simply no excuse for the employer to be using unlawful replacement workers. PHI Hotel Group has an experienced, professional hotel staff who devoted years of service to this hotel. Instead of breaking the law, the owners should be returning long-term staff to their jobs and negotiating a fair contract so that they can take participate in Richmond’s booming hotel market and provide quality service to guests again,” said Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40.

 

Media Contacts: Sharan Pawa, 604-710-1693, sharan@unitehere40.com; or Michelle Travis, 778-960-9785, mtravis@unitehere.org.

Hospitality workers at Cedar Valley Lodge in Kitimat win up to 40% pay increases, avert strike at LNG Canada construction site

Kitimat, BC – On July 22, Sodexo hospitality workers at Cedar Valley Lodge voted 100% in favour to ratify their new collective agreement, securing significant wage gains and averting a strike at the LNG Canada construction site. Workers have bargained a new wage standard for British Columbia camp workers; most Cedar Valley Lodge staff will receive a 30-40% increase in compensation over the 1-year contract. Lodge workers will receive immediate wage increases of $5 per hour, with maintenance staff at the property receiving an immediate 10% pay increase.

Under the new agreement workers have won increases in vacation pay, significant medical benefit improvements, and established a retirement plan as well as workload protections for kitchen, janitor, and housekeeping positions. Lodge staff have also won an unprecedented remote hospitality worker premium. The new contract was reached following mediation with the employer at the BC Labour Board.

“I’m very proud that Cedar Valley Lodge workers have won the contract they needed. I believe this groundbreaking new agreement sends a strong message to camp workers across the province that when workers stand up for themselves, they win! Hospitality workers will not be overlooked or disrespected, and their work should be valued,” said Zailda Chan, UNITE HERE Local 40 President.

Cedar Valley Lodge accommodates up to 5,000 LNG camp workers involved in the pipeline project. The 450 Lodge workers – including housekeepers, kitchen staff, janitors, guest service agents and maintenance staff – unionized with UNITE HERE Local 40 and IBEW Local 993 on April 12. The workers voted 97% in favour of strike action on July 7, concerned with the rising cost of living in British Columbia. Sodexo Cedar Valley Lodge hospitality workers were the lowest compensated workers at the LNG Canada construction site. BC Building Trades members at the site expressed support for the Lodge workers.

“We at Cedar Valley Lodge have been fighting for three long years to be treated fairly. With this amazing contract I feel we have finally won respect, and something that represents us as industry professionals. We won a fair wage increase, improved benefits, but most importantly we are proud to be unionized with Local 40. This victory has changed my life and the lives of my coworkers. We’ve gone from tears of fear to tears of joy!” said Larry Samaroo, a Second Cook who has worked at the Lodge for three years.

 

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