Job Posting:  YVR Airport Justice Organizer 

The organizer for the YVR Airport Justice Organizer will be recruiting and training a worker committee to stand up for airport concessions workers through worker actions, political and community organizing. Organizers work with members and unorganized workers to build the leadership and solidarity necessary to build a progressive and strong labour union. 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.

 

Job Duties:

  • Plan, develop, implement, and evaluate union recruitment strategies including policies, programs, and procedures.
  • Ensure union is advised of developments, potential obstacles, and other relevant activities.
  • Develop and establish member training material and sessions.
  • Organize and participate in meetings and demonstrations.
  • Promote rank and file leadership development.
  • Identify and meet with worker leaders to recruit and train them as union leaders for their particular workplace campaign, in union and non-union settings.
  • Identify workplace issues, learn the relevant collective agreement language, and pursue resolution through the grievance and arbitration procedures.
  • 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.

 

Job Requirements:

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.

 

Contact: Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume outlining relevant experience and including references to updates@unitehere40.com. Only candidates meeting all requirements will be contacted for interviews.

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, sharan@unitehere40.com

BREAKING: Sheraton Vancouver Airport workers vote overwhelmingly in favour of strike action

Richmond, BC – Workers at Sheraton Vancouver Airport (YVR) voted 88% in favour of strike action this weekend. After months of bargaining and mediation efforts, Sheraton YVR workers are considering taking strike action to secure living wages. The workers, including housekeepers, banquet staff, front desk agents, and the hotel’s Starbucks food service workers, are represented by UNITE HERE Local 40.

Sheraton YVR workers are demanding the premier convention hotel stop paying low-end wages. The hotel’s wages fall behind competing Vancouver area hotels, with most workers earning less than a living wage. Some of the staff are working multiple jobs to make ends meet. They are seeking wage parity with comparable high-end hotels that pay $5 more per hour so they can afford to live in Richmond and Greater Vancouver.

The hotel is owned by one of the 20 wealthiest families in Canada, the Lalji family, through an affiliate of Larco Hospitality.

“Our hotel is owned by one of Canada’s richest families, but they refuse to pay us fairly for the work we do. I cleaned rooms here for over 25 years and I’m proud of that. I got injured on the job, but I’m still here, contributing to our guests’ experience and helping to make the hotel successful. It feels like Larco doesn’t value the workers here, so I’m ready to strike for the respect and living wage I deserve.” said Ana Wong, a room attendant.

The workers, the majority of whom are women and immigrants, want Larco Hospitality to agree to livable wages for the staff and to adopt the hotel industry standard for banquet gratuity transparency to ensure tips are being correctly distributed.

“I’ve worked at this hotel for 6 years, but I’m also working 1-2 other jobs to get by. I don’t see a future for myself in this city. I want to find my own place, but I can’t with what I earn. I feel stuck, and everyday life is hard when you are struggling to keep up with rising costs for rent, gas, insurance, and groceries. I’m willing to strike because inflation continues to rise, and me and my fellow workers need to do something about it now,” said Felisha Perry, a part-time banquet server.

“I’m sharing my two-bedroom apartment with two roommates so I can afford my rent, but it still takes up most of my pay. I’m only 24 years old, yet I feel hopeless. I can’t save for my future, or even afford a car, and I work full-time. I want to strike because there’s no light at the end of the tunnel for me. With what I make, I won’t be able to live in a nice home or raise a family, and that’s not right,” said Shaelyn Arnould, a Starbucks food service worker who has been at the hotel for 5 years.

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

Media Contact: Sharan Pawa, 604-710-1693, sharan@unitehere40.com

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, sharan@unitehere40.com

Job Posting: Office Manager (Vancouver, BC)

UNITE HERE Local 40 is seeking a full-time Office Manager to manage its administrative and operational functions. 

UNITE HERE Local 40 is B.C.’s hospitality workers’ union and is leading the fight to organize the unorganized and at the forefront of campaigns for workers’ rights. Our members are housekeepers, bellmen, food servers, cooks, dishwashers, bartenders and many other employees in the tourism and food service industries. Local 40 has a proud history of community involvement and a strong commitment to improving working conditions, wages, and benefits for all workers.

This is a fast-paced work environment. The ideal candidate is reliable, quick to learn, well-organized, attentive to detail, and capable of juggling multiple responsibilities.

 

Job Responsibilities (include but not limited to the following):

  • Oversee and coordinate office administrative procedures.
  • Complete multiple responsibilities on a daily basis
  • Written and verbal communications with members, staff, and employers
  • Organize and schedule appointments/meetings
  • Assistance with coordinating special events and projects
  • Book travel arrangements
  • Submit and reconcile expense reports
  • Answering incoming telephone calls and retrieving daily messages
  • Maintain filing system
  • Assist in the preparation of operating budget and maintain inventory and budgetary controls
  • prepare periodic and special reports, manuals and correspondence
  • Order office supplies, obtain quotes, and coordinate with suppliers
  • Compile reports and prepare spreadsheets
  • Provide payroll information by collecting time and attendance records.
  • Assist with financials and streamline processes efficiently in a busy and fast-paced environment
  • Welcome newly hired employees to the organization by conducting orientations
  • Assist in overseeing daily office operations
  • Other duties as assigned by union leadership

 

Job Requirements/Qualifications: The requirements listed below represent the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

  • 2 ­to 3 years experience in related field
  • Passionate belief in the importance of trade unions and desire to contribute to the labour movement’s effort to create a more just and equitable society
  • Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with ability to engage effectively and tactfully with members, staff, and employers
  • Effective written and verbal communication skills with strong attention to detail
  • Knowledge of office management systems, policies, and procedures
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office (e.g. Work and Excel); G Suite applications including Google Docs, Google Sheets and other applications; Mac & PC
  • Demonstrated excellent organizational skills and high capacity for attention to detail
  • Strong ability and comfort level with variety of technologies, including office equipment, telephones, smart phones, laptops, fax machines, and copiers.
  • Proficient data entry skills
  • Excellent time management skills and the ability to prioritize work
  • Ability to work independently within the context of a plan
  • Good interpersonal and communication skills; must work well with others
  • Must be able to maneuver effectively through Excel using formulas, properly and accurately manage staff expense reimbursements, and have basic knowledge of employee provincial/federal laws
  • Bookkeeping/accounting experience is preferable but not required.
  • Familiarity with QuickBooks a plus.

Salary range from $60,000 to $70,000/year depending on experience.

This is not a remote or hybrid position.

 

Please submit a resume and references, along with a cover letter, to Michelle Travis at mtravis@unitehere.org with “Office Manager Application” in the subject line.  Please include your available start date in the cover letter. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.