Georgian Court Hotel Workers Unionize with Local 40, Joining Growing Wave of Hotel Organizing in BC

Vancouver, BC – Workers at the Georgian Court Hotel in downtown Vancouver have voted to join UNITE HERE Local 40, the hospitality union representing hotel, food service, and airport workers across British Columbia.

Fifty housekeepers and front desk agents at the Georgian Court chose to unionize to address key concerns around heavy workloads, fair wages, and access to quality health benefits.

Negotiations for the Georgian Court workers’ first union contract will begin soon. Local 40 aims to ensure these workers secure the strong standards that have been achieved at other union hotels in Vancouver.

“We’re proud to welcome the Georgian Court workers to our union family,” said Gulzar Grewal, Vice President of UNITE HERE Local 40. “Hotel workers across the city are standing up for better standards in the industry. By joining Local 40, Georgian Court workers are taking an important step toward winning fair wages and workloads that respect their hard work.”

The Georgian Court Hotel joins a growing movement of hospitality workers organizing for change. Recently, workers at Hyatt Alberni (formerly Shangri-La) and the Marriott Vancouver Airport in Richmond also joined Local 40.

UNITE HERE Local 40 advocates for 50,000 BC hospitality workers in British Columbia, including hotel, airport, and camp workers for fair wages, secure jobs, and strong workplace rights.

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

Media Release: Locked-Out Coast Victoria Workers Take Fight to Calgary

Vancouver, BC — Hotel workers locked-out by Coast Victoria Hotel & Marina by APA held a protest downtown yesterday outside the Coast Calgary Downtown Hotel & Suites by APA, calling on the company to end its lockout in Victoria and negotiate a fair contract that provides living wages, safe workloads, and respect on the job.

The rally marked an escalation in the workers’ fight for better treatment, with Calgary-based members of UNITE HERE Local 40, the Calgary District Labour Council, and other allies joining the protest in solidarity.

Nearly 90 Coast Victoria workers have been locked out since September 17 after standing up for fair pay and working conditions that reflect the rising cost of living. Instead of working toward a resolution, the hotel chose to punish workers for demanding better working conditions.

“After everything we’ve given to this company, Coast and APA locked us out instead of addressing our concerns,” said Melissa Irvine, a locked-out housekeeper from Coast Victoria. “We take pride in our work, but we can’t afford to live in the city where we work. We’re here in Calgary to tell Coast Hotels: if you continue to lock us out, we’ll take our fight wherever you operate.”

As part of their visit to Calgary, locked-out workers stopped at the Consulate-General of Japan to speak with a staff representative and deliver a copy of their public flyer, which highlights the connection between the APA Group chairman’s extremist ideology and the company’s mistreatment of workers in Canada.

“Coast’s owner, APA Group, a multibillion-dollar foreign corporation, is kicking Canadian workers to the curb. Coast Victoria workers are asking for what all workers deserve – living wages and safe workloads,” said Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40. “Instead of retaliation, the company should do the right thing. End the lockout and settle a fair contract now.”

Coast Hotels is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based APA Hotel Group which owns Coast Calgary and Coast Victoria. APA Group has stoked controversy in the past over statements made by its founder and chairman – an ultranationalist Japanese billionaire who has used his hotel properties to spread revisionist history and anti-Semitic tropes.

Media Contacts: 

Michelle Travis, [email protected], 778-960-9785, or

Naya Holers, [email protected], 250-889-7682

Community / Political Organizer (Temporary 3-Month Position)

UNITE HERE Local 40, BC’s union for hospitality workers, is seeking a Community / Political Organizer to build power for hospitality workers. We are committed to developing rank-and-file leadership, organizing the unorganized, and to building a strong, fighting labour union. Candidates must demonstrate a commitment to working for social justice through a strong labour movement. The successful applicant we are looking for is driven, courageous, open to feedback, hard working, and a fighter with a deep commitment to social change. The position entails irregular hours including work in the evenings and weekends.

Job Duties & Skills:

  • Excellent communication and verbal skills in order to move workers and allies to take
    collective action and build power.
  • Excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills.
  • Identify and meet with worker leaders to recruit and train them as leaders for community
    campaigns.
  • Motivate and inspire union members; engage them in political education and direct
    lobbying and actions.
  • Plan, develop, implement, and evaluate recruitment strategies including policies,
    programs, and procedures.
  • Represent UNITE HERE’s priorities in interactions with external as well as internal
    contacts at all levels of the organization.
  • Develop and establish member training material and sessions.
  • Organize and participate in meetings and demonstrations.
  • Frequently attend multiple distant locations within a short time span in order to meet with
    workers at their homes and other sites. Many of these locations will not be easily
    accessible by public transit.
  •  Must have a valid drivers’ license and own car preferred.

This is a temporary 3-month position with possible extensions beyond that.

Job Requirements:
Passion for and commitment to fighting for worker’s rights. Ideal candidate brings 1 year of experience as a labour/union organizer, rank and file union activist, and/or experience working with the student, immigrant, LGBTQ+, and/or environmental activist communities.

Salary: $62,000 plus car allowance.

Contact: 
Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume outlining relevant experience and including references to [email protected]. Only candidates meeting all requirements will be contacted for interviews.

Vancouver Airport Marriott Workers Ratify First Union Contract with UNITE HERE Local 40

Richmond, BC – Workers at the Vancouver Airport Marriott Hotel have overwhelmingly ratified their first union contract as members of UNITE HERE Local 40. With this contract, 90 Marriott workers will now enjoy the same union benefits as their unionized colleagues at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel next door.

The workers voted to join the union in August and, after a swift round of negotiations, have secured their first collective agreement. This agreement will be in place until 2027.

“We are grateful to Larco Hospitality for working with us to quickly reach an agreement that benefits both the workers and the hotel,” said Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40. “This contract provides stability and ensures Marriott workers will share in the same strong protections and benefits as other Local 40 members in the community.”

This milestone comes on the heels of Local 40’s recent organizing victories at YVR Airport and remote work camps, further strengthening the union’s role in raising standards across BC’s hospitality industry.

UNITE HERE Local 40 advocates for 50,000 BC hospitality workers in British Columbia, including hotel, airport, and camp workers for fair wages, secure jobs, and strong workplace rights.

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

Boycott Declared by BC Federation of Labour as Coast Victoria Hotel Workers Rally Against Lockout

Victoria, BC – Hundreds of workers and allies gathered yesterday at the BC Legislature in a powerful show of solidarity with locked-out Coast Victoria Hotel workers. The rally brought together unions and community members from across the province to stand with the nearly ninety hotel workers who have been locked out of their jobs for more than a month.

In a major development, Susanne Skidmore, BC Federation of Labour President, announced at the rally that the BCFED has issued a boycott of Coast Victoria Hotel until workers win a fair contract.

“There’s no excuse for locking out workers who are just fighting for safe workloads, proper staffing levels and wages high enough to let them live in the city they serve,” said Susanne Skidmore. “The BC Federation of Labour and our affiliates will not stand by while this employer disrespects its workers. We are calling on all unions, community organizations, and the public to boycott the Coast Victoria Hotel until this lockout ends.”

The rally featured support from leaders of BCGEU, HEU, and other labour unions, along with heartfelt speeches from Coast Victoria workers who shared the struggles they face in Victoria’s unaffordable housing market.

“This lockout has been devastating, but the support we received today shows us that we are not alone,” said Melissa Irvine, a housekeeper at Coast Victoria. “With the backing of the labour movement, we know we can win the respect and wages we deserve.”

Workers, members of UNITE HERE Local 40, began limited strike action on August 20 to urge management to pay living wages and improve working conditions. Rather than resolve the dispute, the company escalated by locking-out workers on September 17.

The boycott announcement marks an escalation of the dispute with Coast Hotels and APA Hotels & Resorts, the multinational owner of the property.

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