Vancouver, BC – UNITE HERE Local 40 has filed an unfair labour practice complaint with the BC Labour Relations Board against Horizon North, a subsidiary of Dexterra Group (DXT.TO), alleging the company is blacklisting low-wage immigrant workers because of their union affiliation.
Horizon North operates remote work camps across Western Canada and employs hundreds of workers—many of them immigrants—in food service, housekeeping, and maintenance roles. The company frequently reassigns laid-off staff to other camps when work slows. However, the union says Horizon North is systematically denying those reassignments to workers from unionized camps, blocking them from jobs at non-union sites solely because they are members of Local 40. In some cases, management explicitly told workers they were ineligible for reassignment because of their union affiliation.
“This is blatant blacklisting of low-wage immigrant workers who dared to join a union,” said Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40. “Horizon North is punishing them for organizing and stripping them of future job opportunities.” The complaint accuses the company of violating Section 6 of the BC Labour Relations Code and seeks an order to end the practice, release records of affected workers, and compensate those denied work.
This complaint comes two months after Horizon North locked out workers from Kobes Creek Lodge and left them stranded in Fort St John, hundreds of kilometers from their homes in Edmonton. This was the first lockout at a BC camp in decades – another time in which Horizon stood out for its anti-union activity.
http://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.png00Michelle Travishttp://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.pngMichelle Travis2025-07-16 11:26:572025-07-16 11:26:57Horizon North Accused of Blacklisting Camp Workers Based on Union Affiliation
New collective agreement overwhelmingly ratified last night
Vancouver, BC — Hilton Metrotown workers have secured the highest wage standard for Burnaby’s hospitality workers after ratifying a new three-year agreement last night. The workers, represented by UNITE HERE Local 40, voted 97% in favour of the new collective agreement. Workers will receive a 21.5% wage increase over the term, setting a new industry-leading wage standard for suburban area hotel workers.
With Hilton Metrotown charging rates of nearly $500 per night or more, with some nights fully booked, the workers bargained a contract that enables them to share in the success of the hotel.
“I am so proud that we won major wage increases and raised the standard for local hotel workers. We take pride in the service we deliver to guests every day. Our work should be valued, and this new contract allows us to support our families and keep doing the work we love,” said Michelle Catubig, a room attendant and member of the union bargaining committee.
Under the new agreement, the new Burnaby hotel wage standard will lift the room attendant wage to $28.10 per hour and the first cook wage to $31.67 per hour during the contract term. Workers also secured increased incentive pay for valet and bell staff, greater gratuities for restaurant and room service staff, increased pay for department leads and training, in addition to enhancements to their paramedical and vision benefits, among other benefits. The new agreement expires in 2028.
The gains for Hilton Metrotown workers follow other standard-setting contracts recently won by UNITE HERE Local 40 members across Downtown Vancouver and Richmond hotels and at Vancouver International Airport.
http://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.png00Michelle Travishttp://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.pngMichelle Travis2025-07-10 10:32:092025-07-10 10:32:09Hilton Metrotown Workers Win Top Wage Standard in Burnaby
Richmond, BC – Gate Gourmet workers at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), represented by UNITE HERE Local 40, have overwhelmingly ratified a groundbreaking new contract.
The nearly 450 workers will see their wages rise by 14% by July 2028, marking one of the most significant gains for any in-flight catering workers in Canada. By the end of the contract, a Gate Gourmet worker will earn an average of $30 – $34 per hour, reflecting the essential nature of their work. Inflight catering workers prepare, pack and deliver food and beverages to aircraft in a high-pressure environment with tight turnaround times between flights.
“This contract is the result of workers standing strong together. We’re proud to have won raises that actually keep up with inflation and move these jobs closer to a real living wage. This round of bargaining was respectful and productive, and we’re especially proud that we reached this deal before the current contract expires in July,” said Surdiner Grewal, a transportation coordinator.
The new union contract also includes better dental coverage for workers and their families and increased pension contributions.
Gate Gourmet is one of the world’s largest independent providers of airline catering services, serving airport locations across the globe, including Vancouver International Airport, Toronto Pearson Airport and Calgary International Airport.
UNITE HERE Local 40 represents hospitality workers including hotels, airports, camp service, and food service workers across the province, and has recently secured major gains for workers in all of these areas.
Victoria, B.C. – Workers at the Coast Victoria Hotel and Marina have issued 72-hour strike notice, setting the stage for the first hotel strike in Victoria since 1999. The notice was delivered Monday afternoon following a public rally outside the hotel where workers and supporters called for fair wages and respect on the job.
The 90 hotel workers, represented by BC’s hospitality union UNITE HERE Local 40, voted 93% in favour of strike action earlier this spring. After months of bargaining, workers say they are no closer to a fair agreement that reflects Victoria’s skyrocketing cost of living, despite living in the best performing hotel market across BC.
“Victoria is one of the most expensive cities in the country, but Coast workers are still making far below a living wage,” said Harj Aheer, Vancouver Island Representative for UNITE HERE Local 40. “This hotel has left workers with no choice but to take a stand.”
While hotel workers in Vancouver have raised industry standards – winning wage increases from $22 in 2019 to $33.16 as of July 1 – Victoria hotel wages have barely moved. Coast Victoria workers, many of whom earn $24 – $25 per hour, have only seen their wages rise by about $5 since 2019. The living wage in Victoria is now estimated at nearly $27 per hour.
“Hotel workers in Vancouver have shown what’s possible,” said Aheer. “Victoria workers deserve no less. This fight is about fairness, dignity, and making it possible to live and work in the same city.”
UNITE HERE Local 40 represents hospitality workers across the province, including hotel, airport, camp, and food service workers. The union has secured major gains for hospitality workers in recent contracts throughout B.C.
http://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.png00Michelle Travishttp://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.pngMichelle Travis2025-06-24 11:01:472025-08-08 11:11:07Coast Victoria Hotel Workers Issue 72-Hour Strike Notice, Paving Way for First Hotel Strike in Victoria in Decades
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.”
UNITE HERE Local 40 is British Columbia’s hospitality workers union representing workers in airport concessions, airline catering, hotels and food service.
http://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.png00Michelle Travishttp://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.pngMichelle Travis2025-06-10 09:44:232025-06-10 09:44:23Press Release: Paradies Lagardère Lowers YVR Airport Job Standards Ahead of World Cup, Says New Report
Horizon North Accused of Blacklisting Camp Workers Based on Union Affiliation
Vancouver, BC – UNITE HERE Local 40 has filed an unfair labour practice complaint with the BC Labour Relations Board against Horizon North, a subsidiary of Dexterra Group (DXT.TO), alleging the company is blacklisting low-wage immigrant workers because of their union affiliation.
Horizon North operates remote work camps across Western Canada and employs hundreds of workers—many of them immigrants—in food service, housekeeping, and maintenance roles. The company frequently reassigns laid-off staff to other camps when work slows. However, the union says Horizon North is systematically denying those reassignments to workers from unionized camps, blocking them from jobs at non-union sites solely because they are members of Local 40. In some cases, management explicitly told workers they were ineligible for reassignment because of their union affiliation.
“This is blatant blacklisting of low-wage immigrant workers who dared to join a union,” said Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40. “Horizon North is punishing them for organizing and stripping them of future job opportunities.” The complaint accuses the company of violating Section 6 of the BC Labour Relations Code and seeks an order to end the practice, release records of affected workers, and compensate those denied work.
This complaint comes two months after Horizon North locked out workers from Kobes Creek Lodge and left them stranded in Fort St John, hundreds of kilometers from their homes in Edmonton. This was the first lockout at a BC camp in decades – another time in which Horizon stood out for its anti-union activity.
Media Contact: Nate Holers, [email protected], 250-889-7682
Hilton Metrotown Workers Win Top Wage Standard in Burnaby
New collective agreement overwhelmingly ratified last night
Vancouver, BC — Hilton Metrotown workers have secured the highest wage standard for Burnaby’s hospitality workers after ratifying a new three-year agreement last night. The workers, represented by UNITE HERE Local 40, voted 97% in favour of the new collective agreement. Workers will receive a 21.5% wage increase over the term, setting a new industry-leading wage standard for suburban area hotel workers.
With Hilton Metrotown charging rates of nearly $500 per night or more, with some nights fully booked, the workers bargained a contract that enables them to share in the success of the hotel.
“I am so proud that we won major wage increases and raised the standard for local hotel workers. We take pride in the service we deliver to guests every day. Our work should be valued, and this new contract allows us to support our families and keep doing the work we love,” said Michelle Catubig, a room attendant and member of the union bargaining committee.
Under the new agreement, the new Burnaby hotel wage standard will lift the room attendant wage to $28.10 per hour and the first cook wage to $31.67 per hour during the contract term. Workers also secured increased incentive pay for valet and bell staff, greater gratuities for restaurant and room service staff, increased pay for department leads and training, in addition to enhancements to their paramedical and vision benefits, among other benefits. The new agreement expires in 2028.
The gains for Hilton Metrotown workers follow other standard-setting contracts recently won by UNITE HERE Local 40 members across Downtown Vancouver and Richmond hotels and at Vancouver International Airport.
Media Contact: Michelle Travis, [email protected], 778-960-9785
Gate Gourmet YVR Workers Vote in favour to Ratify Deal, Becoming Highest Paid In-Flight Catering Crew in Canada
Richmond, BC – Gate Gourmet workers at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), represented by UNITE HERE Local 40, have overwhelmingly ratified a groundbreaking new contract.
The nearly 450 workers will see their wages rise by 14% by July 2028, marking one of the most significant gains for any in-flight catering workers in Canada. By the end of the contract, a Gate Gourmet worker will earn an average of $30 – $34 per hour, reflecting the essential nature of their work. Inflight catering workers prepare, pack and deliver food and beverages to aircraft in a high-pressure environment with tight turnaround times between flights.
“This contract is the result of workers standing strong together. We’re proud to have won raises that actually keep up with inflation and move these jobs closer to a real living wage. This round of bargaining was respectful and productive, and we’re especially proud that we reached this deal before the current contract expires in July,” said Surdiner Grewal, a transportation coordinator.
The new union contract also includes better dental coverage for workers and their families and increased pension contributions.
Gate Gourmet is one of the world’s largest independent providers of airline catering services, serving airport locations across the globe, including Vancouver International Airport, Toronto Pearson Airport and Calgary International Airport.
UNITE HERE Local 40 represents hospitality workers including hotels, airports, camp service, and food service workers across the province, and has recently secured major gains for workers in all of these areas.
Contact: Rifat Islam, [email protected], 604-619-0798
Coast Victoria Hotel Workers Issue 72-Hour Strike Notice, Paving Way for First Hotel Strike in Victoria in Decades
Victoria, B.C. – Workers at the Coast Victoria Hotel and Marina have issued 72-hour strike notice, setting the stage for the first hotel strike in Victoria since 1999. The notice was delivered Monday afternoon following a public rally outside the hotel where workers and supporters called for fair wages and respect on the job.
The 90 hotel workers, represented by BC’s hospitality union UNITE HERE Local 40, voted 93% in favour of strike action earlier this spring. After months of bargaining, workers say they are no closer to a fair agreement that reflects Victoria’s skyrocketing cost of living, despite living in the best performing hotel market across BC.
“Victoria is one of the most expensive cities in the country, but Coast workers are still making far below a living wage,” said Harj Aheer, Vancouver Island Representative for UNITE HERE Local 40. “This hotel has left workers with no choice but to take a stand.”
While hotel workers in Vancouver have raised industry standards – winning wage increases from $22 in 2019 to $33.16 as of July 1 – Victoria hotel wages have barely moved. Coast Victoria workers, many of whom earn $24 – $25 per hour, have only seen their wages rise by about $5 since 2019. The living wage in Victoria is now estimated at nearly $27 per hour.
“Hotel workers in Vancouver have shown what’s possible,” said Aheer. “Victoria workers deserve no less. This fight is about fairness, dignity, and making it possible to live and work in the same city.”
UNITE HERE Local 40 represents hospitality workers across the province, including hotel, airport, camp, and food service workers. The union has secured major gains for hospitality workers in recent contracts throughout B.C.
Media Contact: Rifat Islam | [email protected] | 604-619-0798
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:
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:
“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.