Archive for category: News

News Release: Workers involved in bus rollover north of Prince George had raised previous travel concerns

Prince George, BC — Workers involved in Friday’s crash along a forest service road north of Prince George had raised concerns earlier this year about being forced to bus up to four hours a day to and from the Coastal GasLink worksite. Thirty members of UNITE HERE Local 40 were aboard a bus that flipped over while traveling from Prince George to the camp site. The crash injured 18 people on the bus. The affected workers are housekeepers at Coastal GasLink’s Parsnip Lodge, the large majority of whom are immigrant women.

“Our first concern is with our members and their families who have gone through a terrifying experience. This never should have happened. Workers told management that this was not safe. We expect Horizon North to work with the Union to ensure workers’ health and safety is prioritized and not put at risk,” said Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40.

UNITE HERE Local 40 filed a grievance against Horizon North, which manages the Lodge, earlier this year after management unilaterally moved all the housekeepers out of the camp and began bussing them to and from the site. Workers are expected to travel up to four hours each day to and from camp, and along a forest service road, because they are no longer provided housing at the camp.

The Union is calling on management to house Lodge workers onsite, as they are required to do in the collective agreement. The Union and management are currently in arbitration, which is expected to conclude this week.

 

Media Contacts:

Sharan Pawa, 604-710-1693, [email protected], or

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

Press Release: Ramada Prince George Workers ratify new contract, avert strike

Workers win immediate wage increases, improve retirement benefits

Prince George, BC – On Friday, UNITE HERE Local 40 members at the Ramada Prince George voted to ratify a new collective agreement. Workers voted 100% in favour of the contract, securing significant wage gains to meet the rising cost of living.

In their new four-year agreement, workers bargained a $2 wage increase starting June 1, 2023, and a total wage increase of 16.5 – 19.5% over the next 2 years for Front Desk Agents, Room Attendants and Baristas. Other highlights of the new contract include improved retirement benefits, with the hotel contributing 45% more to the workers’ retirement plan by 2025, and new Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee language which will allow management and workers to collaboratively address health and safety issues at the hotel.

Ramada Prince George workers put themselves on the frontlines and maintained high standards for guests during the pandemic. They are pleased to now reach an agreement with management that provides them with sustainable, family-supporting jobs in Prince George.

“We’ve needed this change for a long time and are happy with this hard-fought outcome. It’s been an honour working with the Union to achieve our new contract. By my co-workers and I standing united, we can now look forward to our future at this hotel,” said Monisa Boudreau, a housekeeper at Ramada Prince George.

The contract win for Ramada Prince George workers averts a strike and ensures they will continue to provide their service to guests. Workers issued 72-hour strike notice on May 29 after months at the bargaining table.

 

Media Contact: Sharan Pawa, 604-710-1693, [email protected]

Media Advisory: Richmond Hotel Workers to Hold Mass Rally to Mark 2-Year Strike

Demonstration to be held Thursday, May 25, at 5PM

Richmond, BC — Pacific Gateway (now Radisson Blu) hotel workers will hold a rally this Thursday to commemorate two years of being on strike. This is the longest hotel strike in B.C. history. Workers have been on the picket line daily since May 2021 to fight back against management’s pandemic terminations and attempts to rollback wages and benefits.

During the pandemic, the hotel terminated 143 long-term staff, mostly women and people of colour, while it was used as a federal quarantine site. The owner, an affiliate PHI Hotel Group, refused to recall staff as business recovered as other local hotels have done. The federal government left the hotel in 2022 after workers urged them to move. The hotel has been rebranded under a new name – Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport.

The BC Federation of Labour and the Canadian Labour Congress have issued a boycott of the hotel until the owner agrees to rehire workers and settles a fair contract. The City of Richmond has resolved not to support events or promote business with the hotel until a resolution is reached with the workers.

WHO: Striking hotel workers and community allies from across the lower mainland.

WHERE: 3500 Cessna Drive, Richmond BC

WHEN: Thursday, May 25 at 5:00 P.M.

VISUALS: Hotel workers and community allies chanting, marching, and speaking with colourful banners, signs, and bullhorns. Striking hotel workers and UNITE HERE Local 40 representatives will be made available for interviews in English, Punjabi and Mandarin.

Media Contact: Sharan Pawa, 604-710-1693, [email protected]

Press Release: Inn at Laurel Point Workers avert strike, increase their wages by 20% or more

Victoria, BC – UNITE HERE Local 40 members at the Inn at Laurel Point have voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new collective agreement last night. Workers voted 98% in favour of the contract, securing significant wage gains to meet the rising cost of living in Victoria. Workers bargained a wage increase of 20% or more from June 2022 – February 2026.  By the end of the new contract, Cooks will earn 25% more in wages over the previous agreement, while Room Attendants will earn 26% more.

Under the new contract, the tipped workers achieved improvements to protecting their gratuities. These new protections give servers, bartenders, banquet staff, room attendants and bellstaff the right to review records to ensure management correctly pays automatic charges and credit/debit card tips and it prohibits management creating tip pools. Front Desk staff won unprecedented protections of their sales commissions.

“Getting the contract we want means that I am better able to support my family. The team here at Laurel Point – the housekeepers, front desk agents, banquet workers, restaurant servers, kitchen staff and other departments – are what keeps this place an amazing place to work and stay. I’m very proud that we all stuck together to attain a living wage, given Victoria’s high rate of inflation. I hope this inspires other unions and workers to demand what is fair and just for them as well,” said Aaron Walters, a server at Inn at Laurel Point’s Aura Restaurant

The contract win for Inn at Laurel Point workers averts a strike and ensures they will continue to provide four-star service to guests during the busy tourist season. Workers had issued 72-hour strike notice on April 27 after months at the bargaining table.

“The workers are happy and relieved to come to an agreement. We were fortunate to have a strong group of organizers and committee to achieve this fair result,” said Harj Aheer, front desk agent at the Inn.

 

Media Contact: Sharan Pawa, 604-710-1693, [email protected]

BREAKING: Ramada Prince George workers vote in favour of strike

Workers at Ramada Prince George voted 87% in favour of strike action last night. Now without a contract for over 10 months, Ramada Prince George workers are considering taking job action, up to and including a strike, to secure wages that allow them to keep up with the rising cost of living. The 35 workers, including housekeepers, banquet staff, front desk agents, and the hotel’s Starbucks food service workers, are represented by UNITE HERE Local 40.

Wages at the hotel range between $17-18 per hour, significantly less than the living wage required to support a family in Prince George at $21.19.

“This is about securing a standard that will allow us to live comfortably so that we are not struggling as individuals. This is about separating the gap between what we’re making and what’s a realistic living wage,” said Monisa Boudreau, a housekeeper at Ramada Prince George.

Many Ramada Prince George workers were hired during the COVID-19 pandemic, putting themselves on the frontlines to serve guests. Currently the hotel is not offering any food or beverage service and is understaffed, with heavy workloads placed on its workers. Despite sacrifices made during the pandemic and consistently maintaining high standards for guests, Ramada workers’ jobs are not sustainable at their current wages.

“I’ve worked at the Ramada for over a decade and I’m still struggling to pay my bills. Me and my co-workers deserve a living wage,” said Vanessa Farley, a housekeeper at Ramada Prince George for 11 years.

“I always put 100% into my work, and right now I feel as though I’m not being fairly compensated for it at the Ramada. We’ve tried compromising with the owners but at this point the amount that we’re asking for is the amount that we need to survive,” said Maria Drabinasty, a cleaner at Ramada Prince George for 13 years.

Picket lines could go up any time after workers issue 72-hour strike notice.

Media Contact: Sharan Pawa, 604-710-1693, [email protected]