Kitimat, BC – On July 22, Sodexo hospitality workers at Cedar Valley Lodge voted 100% in favour to ratify their new collective agreement, securing significant wage gains and averting a strike at the LNG Canada construction site. Workers have bargained a new wage standard for British Columbia camp workers; most Cedar Valley Lodge staff will receive a 30-40% increase in compensation over the 1-year contract. Lodge workers will receive immediate wage increases of $5 per hour, with maintenance staff at the property receiving an immediate 10% pay increase.
Under the new agreement workers have won increases in vacation pay, significant medical benefit improvements, and established a retirement plan as well as workload protections for kitchen, janitor, and housekeeping positions. Lodge staff have also won an unprecedented remote hospitality worker premium. The new contract was reached following mediation with the employer at the BC Labour Board.
“I’m very proud that Cedar Valley Lodge workers have won the contract they needed. I believe this groundbreaking new agreement sends a strong message to camp workers across the province that when workers stand up for themselves, they win! Hospitality workers will not be overlooked or disrespected, and their work should be valued,” said Zailda Chan, UNITE HERE Local 40 President.
Cedar Valley Lodge accommodates up to 5,000 LNG camp workers involved in the pipeline project. The 450 Lodge workers – including housekeepers, kitchen staff, janitors, guest service agents and maintenance staff – unionized with UNITE HERE Local 40 and IBEW Local 993 on April 12. The workers voted 97% in favour of strike action on July 7, concerned with the rising cost of living in British Columbia. Sodexo Cedar Valley Lodge hospitality workers were the lowest compensated workers at the LNG Canada construction site. BC Building Trades members at the site expressed support for the Lodge workers.
“We at Cedar Valley Lodge have been fighting for three long years to be treated fairly. With this amazing contract I feel we have finally won respect, and something that represents us as industry professionals. We won a fair wage increase, improved benefits, but most importantly we are proud to be unionized with Local 40. This victory has changed my life and the lives of my coworkers. We’ve gone from tears of fear to tears of joy!” said Larry Samaroo, a Second Cook who has worked at the Lodge for three years.
http://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.png00Michelle Travishttp://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.pngMichelle Travis2023-07-25 13:27:142023-07-25 13:27:14Hospitality workers at Cedar Valley Lodge in Kitimat win up to 40% pay increases, avert strike at LNG Canada construction site
Amid Vancouver’s affordability crisis, over 1000 workers from Hyatt Regency, Westin Bayshore and Pinnacle Harbourfront could walk off the job this summer
Vancouver, BC – Downtown hospitality workers at the Hyatt Regency, Westin Bayshore and Pinnacle Harbourfront hotels have voted in favour of strike action, concerned about job security and the cost of living in Vancouver. The workers – including room attendants, front desk agents, kitchen staff, servers, and bellman represented by UNITE HERE Local 40 – stand resolute against increased precarity in the hotel sector. The strike votes concluded on Monday evening.
The exorbitant cost of living in Vancouver is making it harder for hospitality workers to live in the city to which they welcome tourists. In a recent survey of local hotel workers conducted by the union, 89% of hotel workers surveyed said they have had to give something up to afford their cost of living, such as family support or medical procedures. 46% of respondents have had to forgo fresh food to keep up with the rising cost of living in Metro Vancouver. Alongside substantial wage increases, the workers are asking for job security as they face the looming threat of hotel redevelopment to luxury housing.
Meanwhile, business for downtown hotels is booming this summer. Vancouver has the highest hotel occupancy and highest average daily room rates across major Canadian markets. In May, the average room rate in downtown Vancouver was $332 per night, while revenue per available room was up 22.5% over the same period last year, according to CBRE.
“Our hotels are packed this summer and are charging customers more than ever, but we aren’t getting our fair share. We want to earn enough to live in the city where we work. We struggled during the pandemic, while the hotel industry received billions in government help. Now our hotels are doing great, but we’re still left behind. Hospitality workers deserve a future in this city if Vancouver expects to have a vibrant tourism sector,” said Naden Abenes, a Room Attendant at Hyatt Regency for 15 years.
Picket lines could go up at the three hotels after the workers issue strike notice.
Downtown hotel workers including those from Hyatt, Westin and Pinnacle launched a major strike in 2019, winning a new standard in wages and working conditions, including groundbreaking safety and sexual harassment protections in the hospitality industry. UNITE HERE Local 40 also represents hospitality workers currently on strike at Sheraton Vancouver Airport and Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport in Richmond.
http://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.png00Michelle Travishttp://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.pngMichelle Travis2023-07-18 09:32:332023-07-18 09:33:22BREAKING: Workers at Three High-end Downtown Hotels Vote in Favour of Strike Action
Job action may disrupt LNG Canada pipeline project
Kitimat, BC – Friday afternoon, Sodexo hospitality workers at Cedar Valley Lodge have voted 97% in favour of strike action. Workers are frustrated with little movement by management in bargaining to address cost of living concerns. Cedar Valley Lodge is the only accommodation facility in Kitimat large enough to house workers for the LNG Canada project. Usually accommodating up to 5,000 camp workers, a strike at the worksite could cause significant disruption to pipeline work.
Sodexo Cedar Valley Lodge hospitality workers are the lowest compensated workers at the LNG Canada construction site. The poly-party vote was conducted by UNITE HERE Local 40 and IBEW Local 993. The workers are asking for significant economic improvements that will allow them to keep up with the rising cost of living. The 450 workers – including housekeepers, kitchen staff, janitors, lounge servers, guest service agents, and maintenance – unionized with UNITE HERE Local 40 and IBEW on April 12.
BC Building Trades workers at the LNG Canada camp received a 12.5 % wage increase in 2022, and by the end of October 2023 will receive an additional 10% increase. Sodexo hospitality workers at Cedar Valley Lodge were not included in these increases. Some Lodge workers are making $5 per hour less than they earned in the same positions at the Kitimat Modernization Project 8 years ago.
“Cedar Valley Lodge workers are being treated unfairly. We deserve fair pay for the work we do – not to be the lowest paid people at the LNG Canada camp. With families to support, we need to be able to keep up with our bills. We will not be disrespected anymore, and we are ready to strike if we do not receive a fair proposal,” said Mike Lightheart, a First Cook who has worked at Cedar Valley Lodge for 3 years.
Mediation between the Union and the employer begins today at the BC Labour Board.
http://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.png00Michelle Travishttp://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.pngMichelle Travis2023-07-10 10:50:482023-07-10 10:50:48BREAKING: Hospitality Workers at Cedar Valley Lodge in Kitimat Authorize Strike
Website informs public about ongoing labour dispute and treatment of women
Vancouver, BC – UNITE HERE Local 40 has launched a new website, www.BoycottRadissonBluYVR.ca, to inform leisure and corporate travellers, tour groups, and wedding planners about the protracted labour dispute and treatment of women at Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport.
Workers have been on strike at this hotel for two years. The Union is advising customers to boycott the Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport and book with alternative hotels until workers are recalled with a fair contract.
The website provides background into the dispute which began when the employer, PHI Hotel Group, terminated 143 workers during the pandemic and refused to recall them to their jobs as tourism recovered. Meanwhile, the employer raked in millions of taxpayer dollars when they allowed the hotel to be used as a mandatory quarantine site. The remaining workers went on strike in May 2021.
The website informs prospective guests about the disproportionate impact of the terminations on women, many of whom are from immigrant communities. Approximately 90% of the hotel’s housekeeping staff was terminated as were most of the restaurant staff.
“For 17 years, I worked at the hotel until they took advantage of the pandemic to fire 90% of its housekeeping staff. We made the hotel successful. We don’t deserve to be treated like we’re disposable,” said Kiran Dhillon, one of the affected room attendants.
The site advises hotel customers that current services at the 400-room hotel are limited given the impact of the mass terminations and ongoing strike.
Richmond City Council has resolved not to use the hotel until an agreement has been reached with the workers. The BC Federation of Labour and the Canadian Labour Congress have endorsed a hotel boycott. Visitors to the website will find information about fair hotels to consider using for alternative bookings.
The hotel, formerly Pacific Gateway, was recently rebranded as a Radisson Blu. It is majority owned by an affiliate of Surrey-based PHI Hotel Group which also operates hotels in B.C. and Alberta.
Media Contacts: Michelle Travis, 778-960-9785, [email protected], or Sharan Pawa, 604-710-1693, sharan@unitehere40com.
http://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.png00Michelle Travishttp://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.pngMichelle Travis2023-06-20 13:04:072023-06-20 13:05:05UNITE HERE Launches Website Advising Customers of Strike at Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport
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.
http://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.png00Michelle Travishttp://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.pngMichelle Travis2023-06-19 14:28:202023-06-19 14:28:46News Release: Workers involved in bus rollover north of Prince George had raised previous travel concerns
Hospitality workers at Cedar Valley Lodge in Kitimat win up to 40% pay increases, avert strike at LNG Canada construction site
Kitimat, BC – On July 22, Sodexo hospitality workers at Cedar Valley Lodge voted 100% in favour to ratify their new collective agreement, securing significant wage gains and averting a strike at the LNG Canada construction site. Workers have bargained a new wage standard for British Columbia camp workers; most Cedar Valley Lodge staff will receive a 30-40% increase in compensation over the 1-year contract. Lodge workers will receive immediate wage increases of $5 per hour, with maintenance staff at the property receiving an immediate 10% pay increase.
Under the new agreement workers have won increases in vacation pay, significant medical benefit improvements, and established a retirement plan as well as workload protections for kitchen, janitor, and housekeeping positions. Lodge staff have also won an unprecedented remote hospitality worker premium. The new contract was reached following mediation with the employer at the BC Labour Board.
“I’m very proud that Cedar Valley Lodge workers have won the contract they needed. I believe this groundbreaking new agreement sends a strong message to camp workers across the province that when workers stand up for themselves, they win! Hospitality workers will not be overlooked or disrespected, and their work should be valued,” said Zailda Chan, UNITE HERE Local 40 President.
Cedar Valley Lodge accommodates up to 5,000 LNG camp workers involved in the pipeline project. The 450 Lodge workers – including housekeepers, kitchen staff, janitors, guest service agents and maintenance staff – unionized with UNITE HERE Local 40 and IBEW Local 993 on April 12. The workers voted 97% in favour of strike action on July 7, concerned with the rising cost of living in British Columbia. Sodexo Cedar Valley Lodge hospitality workers were the lowest compensated workers at the LNG Canada construction site. BC Building Trades members at the site expressed support for the Lodge workers.
“We at Cedar Valley Lodge have been fighting for three long years to be treated fairly. With this amazing contract I feel we have finally won respect, and something that represents us as industry professionals. We won a fair wage increase, improved benefits, but most importantly we are proud to be unionized with Local 40. This victory has changed my life and the lives of my coworkers. We’ve gone from tears of fear to tears of joy!” said Larry Samaroo, a Second Cook who has worked at the Lodge for three years.
Media Contact: Sharan Pawa, 604-710-1693, [email protected]
BREAKING: Workers at Three High-end Downtown Hotels Vote in Favour of Strike Action
Amid Vancouver’s affordability crisis, over 1000 workers from Hyatt Regency, Westin Bayshore and Pinnacle Harbourfront could walk off the job this summer
Vancouver, BC – Downtown hospitality workers at the Hyatt Regency, Westin Bayshore and Pinnacle Harbourfront hotels have voted in favour of strike action, concerned about job security and the cost of living in Vancouver. The workers – including room attendants, front desk agents, kitchen staff, servers, and bellman represented by UNITE HERE Local 40 – stand resolute against increased precarity in the hotel sector. The strike votes concluded on Monday evening.
The exorbitant cost of living in Vancouver is making it harder for hospitality workers to live in the city to which they welcome tourists. In a recent survey of local hotel workers conducted by the union, 89% of hotel workers surveyed said they have had to give something up to afford their cost of living, such as family support or medical procedures. 46% of respondents have had to forgo fresh food to keep up with the rising cost of living in Metro Vancouver. Alongside substantial wage increases, the workers are asking for job security as they face the looming threat of hotel redevelopment to luxury housing.
Meanwhile, business for downtown hotels is booming this summer. Vancouver has the highest hotel occupancy and highest average daily room rates across major Canadian markets. In May, the average room rate in downtown Vancouver was $332 per night, while revenue per available room was up 22.5% over the same period last year, according to CBRE.
“Our hotels are packed this summer and are charging customers more than ever, but we aren’t getting our fair share. We want to earn enough to live in the city where we work. We struggled during the pandemic, while the hotel industry received billions in government help. Now our hotels are doing great, but we’re still left behind. Hospitality workers deserve a future in this city if Vancouver expects to have a vibrant tourism sector,” said Naden Abenes, a Room Attendant at Hyatt Regency for 15 years.
Picket lines could go up at the three hotels after the workers issue strike notice.
Downtown hotel workers including those from Hyatt, Westin and Pinnacle launched a major strike in 2019, winning a new standard in wages and working conditions, including groundbreaking safety and sexual harassment protections in the hospitality industry. UNITE HERE Local 40 also represents hospitality workers currently on strike at Sheraton Vancouver Airport and Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport in Richmond.
Media Contact: Sharan Pawa, 604-710-1693, [email protected]
BREAKING: Hospitality Workers at Cedar Valley Lodge in Kitimat Authorize Strike
Job action may disrupt LNG Canada pipeline project
Kitimat, BC – Friday afternoon, Sodexo hospitality workers at Cedar Valley Lodge have voted 97% in favour of strike action. Workers are frustrated with little movement by management in bargaining to address cost of living concerns. Cedar Valley Lodge is the only accommodation facility in Kitimat large enough to house workers for the LNG Canada project. Usually accommodating up to 5,000 camp workers, a strike at the worksite could cause significant disruption to pipeline work.
Sodexo Cedar Valley Lodge hospitality workers are the lowest compensated workers at the LNG Canada construction site. The poly-party vote was conducted by UNITE HERE Local 40 and IBEW Local 993. The workers are asking for significant economic improvements that will allow them to keep up with the rising cost of living. The 450 workers – including housekeepers, kitchen staff, janitors, lounge servers, guest service agents, and maintenance – unionized with UNITE HERE Local 40 and IBEW on April 12.
BC Building Trades workers at the LNG Canada camp received a 12.5 % wage increase in 2022, and by the end of October 2023 will receive an additional 10% increase. Sodexo hospitality workers at Cedar Valley Lodge were not included in these increases. Some Lodge workers are making $5 per hour less than they earned in the same positions at the Kitimat Modernization Project 8 years ago.
“Cedar Valley Lodge workers are being treated unfairly. We deserve fair pay for the work we do – not to be the lowest paid people at the LNG Canada camp. With families to support, we need to be able to keep up with our bills. We will not be disrespected anymore, and we are ready to strike if we do not receive a fair proposal,” said Mike Lightheart, a First Cook who has worked at Cedar Valley Lodge for 3 years.
Mediation between the Union and the employer begins today at the BC Labour Board.
Media Contact: Sharan Pawa, 604-710-1693, [email protected]
UNITE HERE Launches Website Advising Customers of Strike at Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport
Website informs public about ongoing labour dispute and treatment of women
Vancouver, BC – UNITE HERE Local 40 has launched a new website, www.BoycottRadissonBluYVR.ca, to inform leisure and corporate travellers, tour groups, and wedding planners about the protracted labour dispute and treatment of women at Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport.
Workers have been on strike at this hotel for two years. The Union is advising customers to boycott the Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport and book with alternative hotels until workers are recalled with a fair contract.
The website provides background into the dispute which began when the employer, PHI Hotel Group, terminated 143 workers during the pandemic and refused to recall them to their jobs as tourism recovered. Meanwhile, the employer raked in millions of taxpayer dollars when they allowed the hotel to be used as a mandatory quarantine site. The remaining workers went on strike in May 2021.
The website informs prospective guests about the disproportionate impact of the terminations on women, many of whom are from immigrant communities. Approximately 90% of the hotel’s housekeeping staff was terminated as were most of the restaurant staff.
“For 17 years, I worked at the hotel until they took advantage of the pandemic to fire 90% of its housekeeping staff. We made the hotel successful. We don’t deserve to be treated like we’re disposable,” said Kiran Dhillon, one of the affected room attendants.
The site advises hotel customers that current services at the 400-room hotel are limited given the impact of the mass terminations and ongoing strike.
Richmond City Council has resolved not to use the hotel until an agreement has been reached with the workers. The BC Federation of Labour and the Canadian Labour Congress have endorsed a hotel boycott. Visitors to the website will find information about fair hotels to consider using for alternative bookings.
The hotel, formerly Pacific Gateway, was recently rebranded as a Radisson Blu. It is majority owned by an affiliate of Surrey-based PHI Hotel Group which also operates hotels in B.C. and Alberta.
URLs:
www.BoycottRadissonBluYVR.ca
www.RadissonBluYVRHurtsWomen.ca
Media Contacts: Michelle Travis, 778-960-9785, [email protected], or Sharan Pawa, 604-710-1693, sharan@unitehere40com.
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]