Press Release: Pan Pacific Hotel Workers Vote 93% in Favour of Strike Action

After months of bargaining and rallies, workers send a clear message to hotel owner Westmont Hospitality Group: we’re ready to fight for fair wages.

Vancouver, BC – Workers at Vancouver’s Pan Pacific Hotel have voted overwhelmingly in favour of job action, with 93% voting yes in a strike vote that concluded Saturday. The result sends a clear message that workers are prepared to take job action to secure a fair agreement.

Workers, represented by UNITE HERE Local 40, have been bargaining with Westmont for months and have organized multiple actions and demonstrations to push for higher wages, safer workloads and proper staffing. A key issue is the significant wage gap between Pan Pacific workers and employees at other unionized hotels in Vancouver, where hourly wages are $5 to $7 higher.

“We want Pan Pacific’s owners to hear us loud and clear: we demand a fair deal now,” said Kirsten Lebrun, server and member of the union bargaining committee. “In Canada’s most unaffordable city, we shouldn’t earn $5 to $7 less per hour than workers at other high-end hotels. Westmont must recognize our contributions to this five-star hotel and deliver a fair contract.”

The vote gives workers a strong mandate to take job action, if necessary, with workers to decide on next steps.

The prominent Pan Pacific Vancouver Hotel at Canada Place is owned by an affiliate of Westmont Hospitality Group.  Westmont is a global hotel operator with interests in hundreds of hotels worldwide, including the Fairmont Waterfront and Parq Casino Vancouver.

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