Press Release: Paradies Lagardère Lowers YVR Airport Job Standards Ahead of World Cup, Says New Report

Vancouver, BC – A new report from UNITE HERE Local 40 scrutinizes Vancouver International Airport’s partnership with Paradies Lagardère—a concessions operator that, according to workers, pays low wages and provides precarious schedules.

YVR, consistently ranked the #1 airport in North America, became a certified Living Wage Employer in 2022. Despite this commitment, the report, What’s Wrong with Paradies at North America’s #1 Airport, details how concession workers employed by Paradies Lagardère remain trapped in low-wage, precarious jobs while their counterparts at other food and retail outlets move toward living wages.

For example, baristas at its Pacific Farms Market earn BC’s minimum wage of $17.85 per hour—a 43% gap compared to competitors like SSP and HMSHost, where employees will earn over $25/hour in 2025. Paradies operates approximately 16 retail and food units across the airport. According to wage data and reports by workers, the average wage earned was $18.49/hour—46% below the regional living wage of $27.05.

“These jobs are overwhelmingly staffed by racialized immigrant women who welcome the world to Vancouver. Paradies workers are being left behind,” said Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40.

The report raises concerns that YVR’s continued relationship with Paradies may erode job standards across the airport:

  • Low Wages and Tip Concerns: Paradies workers earn, on average, $18.49/hour—46% below the regional living wage of $27.05. Some workers also reported a lack of transparency around cash tips and no access to electronic tipping.
  • Precarious Scheduling: Employees said they were routinely given fewer than 20 hours a week, even if they had been hired as for a full-time position.
  • Allegations of Labour Rights Violations: A known union supporter was fired one day after workers voted to unionize at Pacific Farms Market. A complaint has been filed with the BC Labour Relations Board.
  • Health and Safety Red Flags: Paradies operations in U.S. airports have faced shutdowns and repeated food safety violations in the past two years due to pest infestations, poor hygiene, and a lack of trained staff.

Paradies’ parent company, Paradies Lagardère Travel Retail division, reported €5.8 billion in revenue in 2024 and a record €305 million in recurring profits, yet continues to resist living wage policies that competitors at YVR have embraced.

“No worker should fear losing their job because they demand a living wage,” Chan said. “With the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, YVR has a chance to position itself as a leader among Vancouver’s key institutions as a host city. We must convene all stakeholders and ensure that the benefits of increased international travel are shared fairly with the workers and communities who make that success possible––just like airports in Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, where concessions operators are required to pay living wages.”

UNITE HERE Local 40 is calling on the Vancouver Airport Authority to:

  • Condition all of Paradies’ future concession contracts on the payment of a living wage, as defined by Living Wage BC.
  • Deny contracts to operators who interfere with workers’ right to organize or who have committed labour violations.
  • Guarantee stable scheduling and adequate hours for full-time workers at Paradies.

“YVR has the power to shape the kind of airport we want—one where no worker is left behind,” said Chan. “Paradies should not be rewarded for cutting costs on the backs of women and immigrant workers.”

 CONTACT: Nate Holers, 250-889-7682, [email protected]

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 UNITE HERE Local 40 is British Columbia’s hospitality workers union representing workers in airport concessions, airline catering, hotels and food service.

 

Media Advisory: Hilton Metrotown Workers to Advise Customers, Community on Escalating Actions in Push for New Wage Standard in Burnaby

Press Conference to be held this Friday at Noon

Vancouver, BC – Hilton Metrotown workers are proud to welcome guests to Burnaby’s finest hotel but are earning far less than their peers in Downtown Vancouver and Vancouver Airport hotels. With hotel room rates at Hilton Metrotown selling from nearly $400 to $700 per night – and some nights completely sold out – the workers, many of whom live in Burnaby, are fighting for their fair share.  The hotel staff, represented by UNITE HERE Local 40, will hold a press conference this Friday to advise prospective guests on the current status of collective bargaining; the workers’ collective agreement expired on May 31.

Their last collective agreement was secured after a 13-month labour dispute during the pandemic. Workers and customers will also hold a demonstration at the hotel Friday evening at 6:30pm.

WHAT: UNITE HERE Local 40 Press Conference

WHO: Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40, and Hilton Metrotown workers.

WHERE: Hilton Metrotown Hotel, 6083 McKay Avenue, Burnaby, BC

WHEN: Friday, June 6 at 12:00pm

VISUALS: Workers and their supporters at Hilton Vancouver Metrotown holding signs and carrying flags.

CONTACTS: Michelle Travis, 778-960-9785, [email protected] or Rifat Islam, 604-619-0798, [email protected]

UNITE HERE Local 40 is the hospitality workers’ union and represents members in the hotel, food service and airport industries throughout British Columbia. 

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