Media Advisory: Striking Pacific Gateway Workers to Hold Car Caravan and Rally; Protest over Hotel Industry Attacks on Women, Racialized Workers
WHAT: On May 6, striking Pacific Gateway workers will stage a car caravan and rally Thursday afternoon to call attention to the hotel industry’s onslaught on women and immigrant workers. Community, labour groups, and allied hotel workers from area hotels will join the striking workers in the action.
WHO: Pacific Gateway hotel workers, represented by UNITE HERE Local 40.
WHEN: Thursday, May 6, 5:00PM Pacific Time
WHERE: Pacific Gateway Hotel, 3500 Cessna Drive, Richmond, BC
WHY: The decision to strike this week comes after hotel management terminated 42 workers over the past weekend, upping the total of fired workers to 103. Workers are escalating job action over Pacific Gateway’s refusal to return workers to their jobs when the COVID-19 pandemic passes. The federal quarantine hotel is threatening to fire more long-term staff to induce them to accept a two-tier wage structure with replacement workers earning minimum wage.
While Pacific Gateway workers are on the 4th day of their strike, today also marks the beginning of the 4th week of Hilton Metrotown workers being locked out. Hotel workers across the province are fighting back against the industry attacks on long-term staff, many of whom are women and people of colour already bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 crisis.
VISUALS: Workers standing 2 metres apart, picketing with signs, banners, drums, pots, and pans. Car caravan with cars covered in signs and honking around Lysander Lane and Cessna Drive.
Contact: Stephanie Fung, sfung@local40union.com, 604-928-7356, or Michelle Travis, mtravis@unitehere.org, 778-960-9785
#BCUnequalWomen #TakeBackThursday
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UNITE HERE Local 40 is a labour union representing workers in the hotel, food service and airport industries throughout British Columbia. Learn more at UniteHereLocal40.org.