Coast Victoria Hotel Workers Vote 93% in Favour of Strike for a Living Wage

Victoria, B.C. – Workers at the Coast Victoria Hotel and Marina have voted 93% in favour of strike action. They are demanding a living wage that reflects the high cost of living in Victoria. The 90 workers are represented by BC’s hospitality union, UNITE HERE Local 40.

“Coast workers voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike because they’re not keeping up with the high cost of living in Victoria. The hotel should pay people a living wage so they can afford to live in their own city,” said Harj Aheer, Local 40 Representative for Vancouver Island.

The living wage in Victoria is now estimated at nearly $27 per hour, while many hotel workers continue to earn far less – despite the rising cost of housing, food, and transportation.

Coast Victoria Hotel workers have been in bargaining since February. This overwhelming strike mandate sends a clear message to hotel management: workers are united and ready to take action for wages that meet today’s economic realities.

UNITE HERE Local 40 represents approximately 5,500 hospitality workers including hotels, airports, camp service, and food service workers across the province, and has recently secured major gains for all workers in these areas.

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

60 Landsea Hospitality Workers Aboard MV Isabelle X Unionize with Local 40

Squamish, BC – In a major win for hospitality workers in British Columbia, 60 Landsea employees working aboard the MV Isabelle X – a converted cruise ship serving as a floatel for the Woodfibre LNG project – have voted to join UNITE HERE Local 40!

“We are proud to welcome the Landsea workers aboard the Isabelle X to Local 40,” said Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40. “Their courage and unity are helping to raise standards for camp workers across British Columbia. This is another powerful step forward for workers who deserve a better working condition.”

Contract negotiations will soon be underway at the floatel. Workers are seeking standards that other unionized Local 40 camp hospitality members have secured.

Employed by Aramark, the 60 unionized workers perform essential hospitality, housekeeping, and maintenance duties aboard the vessel, which serves as a floating accommodation for camp employees. Docked near Squamish, BC, the MV Isabelle is home to over 600 workers supporting the Woodfibre LNG development.

UNITE HERE Local 40 represents 1,400 camp hospitality workers in BC. Most recently workers at three Horizon North camps at Fort St John ratified their first collective agreement with Local 40 with significant increases.

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

Lockout Ends at Kobes Creek: Camp Hospitality Workers Ratify First Union Contracts with Historic Gains

Fort St. John, BC – Workers at Kobes Creek lodge and other area camps have set a new standard for Fort St. John camp workers. After fighting back against a lockout at Kobes Creek Lodge, camp hospitality workers have voted 100% in favour of ratifying their first union contract bringing significant gains for some of the hardest working people in the region.

Workers at two other area camps also reached new collective agreements. CPC Montney workers voted unanimously to ratify their first collective agreement and yesterday Attachie Lodge workers followed suit – also with a 100% yes vote.

Workers will see their wages rise by 33.5% by the end of the contracts, making them the top paid camp hospitality workers in Fort St. John. By the end of the contracts, sous chefs at these camps will earn $29.50 per hour, reflecting the essential nature of their work. They also won employer-paid health benefits, retroactive pay and travel pay.

Employed by Horizon North Camp Services, workers at the three camps unionized with UNITE HERE Local 40 last year. In February, workers at all three sites overwhelmingly voted in favour of strike action, sending a strong message to their employers that they are united and determined to secure a fair contract.

Situated North of Fort St. John, in the core of British Columbia’s Montney resource region, Kobes Creek Lodge, CPC Montney Lodge and Attachie Lodge provides key accommodation sites for clients such as ConocoPhilips and ARC Resources’ oil and natural gas operations in the area.

UNITE HERE Local 40 represents approximately 1,400 camp hospitality workers in BC.

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

Breaking: Horizon North Locks Out Minimum Wage Camp Workers and Leaves them Stranded in Fort St. John

Fort St. John, BC – Yesterday evening, nine workers delegated management at Horizon North’s Kobes Creek Lodge, asking for a fair contract. Before they could finish speaking, management informed them they were being locked out of work and had thirty minutes to gather their things. They were then bussed to Fort St. John and left in a hotel parking lot, hundreds of kilometers from their homes in Edmonton.

“It’s outrageous,” said Miranda Nedd, First Cook at Kobes Creek Lodge. “All we’re asking for is a living wage and they kick us out and leave us on the side of the road like garbage. We’re not disposable and we’re going to fight until we win. We are some of the lowest paid workers in BC’s resource camps. We deserve fair pay and respect.”

The 31 culinary, housekeeping and janitorial workers have been in bargaining since December last year and are demanding better wages, travel pay, safe workloads, and improved benefits. Workers joined UNITE HERE Local 40 last year in September over concerns about wages and working conditions.

They voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action in February of this year and served a strike-notice on Friday. “We have been patient and committed throughout the bargaining process,” Nedd said. Monday evening’s delegation was a brief work stoppage to show the workers’ unity in demanding a fair contract. Kobes Creek workers ask for support from the BC camps community while they fight to return to work.

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

Workers at ConocoPhilips’ camp site and Kobes Creek lodge serve 72-hour strike notice

Fort St. John, BC – Hospitality workers at Horizon North’s Kobes Creek camp and ConocoPhillips’ CPC Montney camp are ramping up pressure on their employers, having served 72-hour strike notices. Workers at Kobes Creek issued their notice on Friday and could take job action any time after the 72-hour period expires. Workers at CPC Montney will be in a strike position on Thursday, May 1, 2025.

As bargaining continues without a fair agreement, Horizon North workers are prepared to escalate job action to fight for better wages, travel pay, safer workloads, and improved benefits.

“We have been patient and committed throughout the bargaining process,” said Miranda Nedd, First Cook at Kobes Creek Lodge. “Now we are sending a clear message: we are ready to do whatever it takes to secure a fair contract that recognizes our hard work and sacrifices.”

In February of this year, camp service workers at both sites overwhelmingly voted in favour of strike action, sending a strong message to their employers that they are united and determined to secure a fair contract. The 81 workers in two camps are represented by British Columbia’s hospitality union, UNITE HERE Local 40.

Situated North of Fort St. John, in the core of British Columbia’s Montney resource region, Kobes Creek and CPC Montney Lodge provides key accommodation sites for clients such as ConocoPhilips oil and natural gas operations in the area.

UNITE HERE Local 40 represents approximately 1,000 camp hospitality workers and successfully negotiated new contracts at Red Chris Mine and Cedar Valley Lodge in December 2024. The union continues to raise standards for workers across the sector.

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