Archive for category: News

Press Release: YVR Airport Workers Rally for World Cup Bonus, $30 Wage, Job Security Ahead of FIFA World Cup

VANCOUVER, BC —Dozens of YVR Airport concession workers, represented by UNITE HERE Local 40, held a rally at the airport yesterday calling for a $30 wage and stronger job security protections as they prepare to welcome visitors attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The rally comes after workers delivered a petition signed by more than 1,500 airport workers to the Vancouver Airport Authority last month.  The petition demanded a $1,000 FIFA World Cup bonus to all airport workers.

“We aren’t asking for millions of dollars. Our hard work makes YVR the number one airport in North America.  We’re asking for $30 an hour and a World Cup bonus because we’re barely making enough to cover rent and our bills,” said Aswin Murali, a cook employed by SSP’s Whistler Brewing.

Despite record passenger volumes, strong airport revenues of $717 million, and preparations for the World Cup which will generate millions for YVR and FIFA, many airport workers struggle with low wages, precarity, and the rising cost of living.  Workers say that those gains should be shared with the very concession workers who contribute to the airport’s success.

“Too many airport concession workers are juggling two or three jobs to make ends meet. They are dedicated but low-paid and still vulnerable to contract flipping.  FIFA World Cup will generate wealth for game organizers, the city, and the Airport Authority, but what about those who serve them?  Workers deserve their fair share,” said Gulzar Grewal, UNITE HERE Local 40 Vice-President.”

UNITE HERE Local 40 represents over 1,000 airport concession workers at YVR and growing.  Most recently, Compass workers at Air Canada Lounges across the airport voted to join the union.

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

Union Condemns Council Vote Granting New Hotel Developer Incentive Amid Housing Crisis

Vancouver, BC — UNITE HERE Local 40 is condemning Vancouver City Council’s decision at the public hearing on June 2 to approve a new development incentive for downtown hotels as part of a package of zoning changes tied to provincial housing legislation.

While the amendments were presented as necessary to comply with Bill 16 mandates related to inclusionary zoning and housing-related density bonuses, Council also approved a separate measure allowing downtown hotel projects to exclude up to 20 percent of their floor area for private, commercial hotel amenities and event spaces from density bonus calculations.

Density bonusing is intended to secure public benefits such as affordable housing, childcare, parks, and other community amenities when developers receive permission to build larger projects. Excluding floor area from those requirements increases development value while reducing what developers would otherwise contribute toward public benefits.

According to city staff, the hotel measure stems from a separate Council direction to explore incentives for hotel development and was requested by the hospitality industry to support larger event, conference, and guest amenity spaces.

Councillor Sean Orr moved to sever the hotel incentive from the Bill 16 compliance package. The motion failed, and the exemption was approved as part of the broader by-law changes.  Councillors Pete Fry, Rebecca Bligh, and Mayor Ken Sim were absent.

“Council bundled a new hotel development incentive into a housing-related amendment package and pushed it through at the same time Vancouver is facing one of the worst housing affordability crises in the country,” said Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40. “If development incentives are offered, they should be tied to affordable housing or other community benefits.”

The union also rejected suggestions made by certain Councilors during debate that hospitality workers need to be educated about the relationship between hotels and affordable housing.

“Our members understand the housing crisis better than most. They live it every day,” said Chan. “Workers don’t need a lecture. What Vancouver needs is more affordable housing. The question Council never answered is why a housing bill became the vehicle for another giveaway to hotel developers.”

UNITE HERE Local 40 urged Council to revisit the hotel exemption through a separate public process and provide clear evidence that the incentive is necessary, justified, and delivers a meaningful public benefit.

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

Press Release: City Hall set to Consider New Developer Giveaways Amid Affordability Crisis

Vancouver, BC – While hospitality workers and working families are feeling squeezed by the lack of affordability in Vancouver, City Council will consider proposals at its upcoming regular Council meeting and Public Hearing on June 2 that may continue a troubling trend: developers receive additional benefits, flexibility, and exemptions, while affordable housing and community benefits are negotiated downward.

Hidden Hotel Incentive Buried in Bill 16 Update

One of the Public Hearing items is presented as a technical update to comply with provincial Bill 16 requirements on density bonuses and inclusionary zoning. However, tucked inside the report is a significant new incentive for downtown hotel developers.

The proposal would allow hotel projects to receive up to 20% additional floor area for private commercial amenities such as hotel pools, fitness centres, business centres, conference facilities, meeting rooms, and other private spaces.

Last year, Council exempted many hotel amenity spaces from Community Amenity Benefit calculations. This latest proposal would allow hotels to build larger while providing less public benefit in return for local residents.

City Hall has provided no evidence that the incentive is necessary. Council has already approved projects with over 3,200 hotel rooms, with thousands more in the development pipeline. If approved, the measure could allow larger hotel developments without delivering affordable housing, childcare, community facilities, or other public benefits.

“This proposal is being slipped into what is supposed to be a technical Bill 16 compliance update related to zoning for affordable housing,” said Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40. “Instead, City Hall is considering yet another unnecessary incentive to hotel developers that shortchanges us on community benefits.”

UNITE HERE Local 40 is urging Council to reject the bonus incentive for hotel developers.

West Side Tower Proposal Falls Below Social Housing Requirements

Council will also consider a revised rezoning application for 1745 West 8th Avenue. The proposal increases the number of market strata units from 421 to 441 while reducing the number of social housing units from 107 to 98.

Despite seeking significant increases in height and density, the developer is proposing less social housing than City policy requires. The result is a social housing component that falls below the 20% minimum contemplated under the Broadway Plan’s inclusionary housing framework. If Vancouver is serious about affordability, Council should not waive its own affordable housing requirements.

UNITE HERE Local 40 is urging Council to send the application back to staff and require compliance with the full 20% social housing target.

 Regular Council Meeting Raises Additional Concerns

Council’s Regular Council meeting earlier that day contains several additional items that continue the pattern of prioritizing developer interests over affordability and public accountability.

Among them:

  • 1500–1580 West 3rd Avenue: the applicant proposes a 17-storey hotel on scarce industrial land despite city staff acknowledging conflicts with existing planning policies and surrounding development.
  • Expanded exemptions to the Empty Homes Tax: This would expand exemptions and provide another retroactive tax break for developers, even as the number of completed-but-unsold housing inventory climbed to 745 units.

Council will also consider 13 residential rezoning proposals, seven of which may result in tenant displacement from 158 existing rentals. Ten of the projects would not provide Community Amenity Contributions, despite the City’s ability to negotiate them.

Vancouver residents have heard promises that rapid approvals, increased density, and developer incentives will improve affordability. Yet working people are struggling with expensive housing and living costs while public benefits are increasingly negotiated away.

City Hall should be fighting for stronger affordability requirements, meaningful community benefits, protection for existing renters, and greater transparency, not creating new loopholes and incentives for developers to build unaffordable housing and luxury hotels.

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

Press Release: Union and Community Delegation Delivers 2,000 Signatures Opposing Holborn Luxury Development  

Vancouver, BC —  A delegation of union members and community allies delivered a stack of petitions to development giant Holborn Group this afternoon, sending a clear message that the project does not reflect the needs of Vancouver residents facing an affordability crisis.

More than 2,000 residents have signed the petition, opposed to the “supertall” tower project which could be quickly rushed through Council this July before the municipal election. The petition raises concern about the potential fast-tracking of this project, and notes Holborn’s history of displacing low-income residents at Little Mountain and neglect of Dunsmuir House, a former SRO.

A project of this magnitude should receive meaningful public scrutiny and debate; any Council vote on this project should take place after the election this fall.

“Too many workers and young people are struggling to pay rent and stay in the city,” said Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40.  “Residents want a different vision for Vancouver. Holborn Group and City Hall need to listen and put residents’ needs first before moving forward on a project that will be unaffordable for most of us.”

Holburn seeks to rezone several development sites in downtown Vancouver to build a luxury megaproject at 501-595 W Georgia, 619 Richards, and 500 Dunsmuir, with 1,288 condo units, 920 hotel rooms, 273 rental units, and a vow to build social housing at another site. The project could displace over a dozen independent businesses, some of whom are long-term tenants.

The online version of the petition can be found here.

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

 

 

 

 

Media Advisory: Who is Our City Built For? Rally Today at Vancouver City Hall to Demand Affordability Now!

Vancouver, BC – While Council considers a proposal to rollback requirements for below-market rentals today, hospitality workers and community advocates will be holding a protest this afternoon at City Hall calling on elected officials to stop prioritizing developer profits over housing affordability.

Without a public hearing or opportunity for public input at today’s meeting, Council may approve the second phase of its “fast-track” rental housing plan, allowing larger towers while weakening below-market rental requirements for most new six-storey rental buildings across the city.  Council could also allow developers of several previously approved rental projects to walk back their commitments to provide 20% of units at below-market rents – letting developers drop affordability promises that were part of securing city approval.

The rally is part of a broader pushback against development decisions made by Council that fail to address Vancouver’s affordability crisis and increasingly put corporate interests ahead of community needs.  The rally comes days after UNITE HERE Local 40 filed a challenge to the Council’s approval of a controversial floating hotel development in Coal Harbour.

WHO: Hospitality workers, members of UNITE HERE Local 40, housing advocates, and community supporters.

WHEN: Today – Tuesday, May 19 at 5PM

WHERE: Vancouver City Hall, 453 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC.

VISUALS: Workers and supporters marching and chanting with colourful signs and drums.

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