Nearly 2000 workers sign petition to YVR, call for a living wage for all YVR workers
Richmond, BC – This FRIDAY, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh will rally with YVR Vancouver International Airport workers in their fight to end wage discrimination at YVR, recently-rated the best airport in North America. A petition will be delivered to YVR, signed by nearly 2000 workers at the airport, which calls on the Vancouver Airport Authority to ensure a $25 living wage is paid to all YVR workers.
The Vancouver Airport Authority is a certified Living Wage Employer, yet over a thousand contracted food service, retail, and other workers at the airport are not covered by their living wage policy, with many earning minimum wage or just above. According to employment data obtained by the Union, YVR workers who are not covered by the living wage are 78% women, and most are immigrants. This is in stark contrast to YVR’s own staff, who earn a living wage and are majority male, and 65% white.
Yesterday, YVR Airport was named the top airport in North America by Skytrax. In a quote from Tamara Vrooman, YVR President and CEO, she states “Regaining our top spot as Best Airport in North America is a result of the dedication and hard work of our employees and everyone working here at YVR to serve travellers and our community.” At tomorrow’s rally, YVR’s low-paid workers, joined by labour and community allies, are standing up against YVR Airport’s wage discrimination for the respect and fair pay they deserve.
Last month, over 200 YVR Airport food service workers voted 85% in favour of strike action in their fight for a living wage. The impact of job actions at the world-class airport may cause disruptions as the busy travel season approaches.
WHAT: Rally to End Wage Discrimination at YVR
WHO: MP Jagmeet Singh with YVR Airport workers, joined by fellow hospitality workers and community allies
WHEN: FRIDAY, April 19
TIME: 2:00 PM
LOCATION: YVR International Arrivals (street level), 3211 Grant McConachie Wy, Richmond
VISUALS: MP Jagmeet Singh, airport workers and allies chanting, marching, and speaking with colourful banners, signs, and bullhorns.
http://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.png00Michelle Travishttp://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.pngMichelle Travis2024-04-18 11:54:382024-04-18 11:54:38Media Advisory: NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to Join Workers’ Rally to End Wage Discrimination at YVR Vancouver Airport
Possible airport disruptions during spring break and easter weekend travel rush
Richmond, BC – Food service workers at YVR Vancouver International Airport voted 85% in favour of strike action yesterday. The workers – represented by UNITE HERE Local 40 – are employed by one of YVR’s largest food service operators, SSP Canada Food Services. After months of bargaining, over 200 low-paid SSP workers could walk off the job in their fight to earn Metro Vancouver’s living wage.
The workers serve travelers at dozens of food outlets located in the airport’s domestic and international terminals. Job actions would disrupt daily airport operations as the spring break and Easter weekend rush approaches, with over 1.1 million passengers projected to travel through YVR Airport in the next few weeks.
Recent Union data shows the average food service wage at the world-class airport to be only $18.27 – well below Metro Vancouver’s living wage of $25.68. Meanwhile, YVR Airport generated $492 million in 2022 and is on track to exceed that figure in 2023. In a survey of YVR food service workers conducted last month by the Union, 89% are struggling to keep up with bills or housing costs. 92% of these workers have had to cut back on other expenses to get by each month including nearly 40% stating they are buying less fresh food, and 52% who are not able to support family members as they have previously.
Of the workers at YVR Airport who do not earn a living wage, 78% of those surveyed are women, and most are immigrants. A large majority of SSP food service workers are racialized women. SSP food service worker demographics are in stark contrast to YVR’s own staff, who earn a living wage and are majority male, 65% white.
In addition to standing united for a living wage, the workers are fighting to have their transit reimbursement program reinstated by SSP. This program covers Uber and taxi rides for all SSP food service staff who work outside of SkyTrain hours. Currently, the workers are expected to spend hundreds of dollars on ride costs each month in order to work their scheduled shifts at the airport.
With this strike vote, food service workers send a strong message: end wage discrimination at YVR. Picket lines could go up after workers issue 72-hour strike notice.
UNITE HERE Local 40, BC’s union for hospitality workers, is seeking a Social Justice Union Organizer to recruit, train and mobilize workers to win strong workplace standards. We are committed to developing rank-and-file leadership, organizing the unorganized, and to building a strong, fighting labour union.
Candidates must demonstrate a commitment to working for social justice through a strong a labour movement. 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. The position entails irregular hours including work in the evenings and weekends.
JobDuties:
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills in order to move workers to take collective action and build power.
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.
Promote rank and file leadership development.
Identify workplace issues, learn the relevant collective agreement language, and pursue resolution through the grievance and arbitration procedures.
Plan, develop, implement, and evaluate union recruitment strategies including policies, programs, and procedures.
Develop and establish member training material and sessions.
Organize and participate in meetings and demonstrations.
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.
Must have a valid drivers’ license.
JobRequirements:
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.
Salary: $60,000 starting salary but commensurate with experience.
Contact:
Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume outlining relevant experience and including references to [email protected]. Only candidates meeting all requirements will be contacted for interviews.
http://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.png00Michelle Travishttp://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.pngMichelle Travis2024-02-21 11:22:062024-06-20 16:38:17Job Posting: Social Justice Union Organizer (Vancouver)
Low-paid food service workers, a majority racialized women, forced to spend hundreds out of pocket on transit costs
Richmond, BC – YVR International Airport suddenly on February 1st ended their transit reimbursement program which covers Uber and taxi rides for all airport staff who work outside of SkyTrain hours. This forces already low-paid food service workers to spend hundreds of dollars on ride costs in order to work their scheduled shifts at the airport, which can start or end between 1AM to 5AM.
UNITE HERE Local 40 – which represents YVR food service workers – has filed a Labour Board complaint against one of YVR’s largest food service operators, SSP Canada Food Services, for not reinstating its own long-standing practice of reimbursing staff for Uber and taxi rides outside of SkyTrain hours, which pre-dated the YVR program. YVR Airport began its own ride reimbursement program during the pandemic when food service operational hours were extended, at which point SSP discontinued its own program. SSP has not agreed to reinstate its own practice as of February 1st.
“I start my shift at the airport at 5:30AM, and I live in East Vancouver,” said Alexis Garciano, a worker at Sal Y Limon at YVR. “To get to there on time, I now have to pay for my Ubers early in the morning which is costing me an extra $100/week. I can’t change my work schedule either, because I have a son who I need to take care of in the afternoons. I’m an international student who also has to pay for my rent and tuition fees. For only getting paid $19.50/hour for my work at the airport, this added transit cost really hurts me and my family.”
YVR Airport generated $492 million in 2022 and is on track to exceed that figure in 2023. Meanwhile, hundreds of food service workers at YVR Airport earn well below Metro Vancouver’s living wage of $25.68; recent Union data shows the average food service wage to be only $18.27. A large majority of these workers are racialized women. In addition to their low wages at the world-class airport, some of these workers now have to pay up to $150 per week just to get to work.
“I’m a cook and I only accepted 4:30AM starting shifts because I was told I would be reimbursed for ride costs to the airport,” said Jennie Padilla, from Sal Y Limon at YVR. “I already have to pay for my own Compass transit card, and at times when public transit is not an option for workers, we should be reimbursed for rides needed to get to our jobs. YVR set our new earlier opening time, but now they are making the workers suffer by making us pay to get to work. Personally, it’s costing me around $25 every time I need to take an Uber to my morning shift, because no other options are available. This isn’t right, and I’m going to keep standing up for myself and for my coworkers until YVR shows us respect.”
Richmond, BC – Striking hotel workers at Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport hotel will be ringing in 2024 with a protest over a New Year’s Eve event planned at the hotel’s restaurant, The Deck. Strikers have urged party organizers not to cross their picket line and requested they move their event elsewhere. The party is being co-organized by Abhi Prasad, Assistant to the Fijian Honourary Consul of Canada and head of Surrey-based Metropolitan Security, with Sparq Productions.
Workers have been on strike at Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport hotel for over two years – since hotel management terminated 143 workers, or 70% of their staff, during the pandemic. This impacted nearly all the hotel’s housekeepers and The Deck staff. Most of the impacted workers are women; many are from the South Asian community and worked at the hotel complex for decades. It is currently the longest hotel strike in Canada.
Protest Details
When: New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2023
Where: The Deck at Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport hotel, 3500 Cessna Drive, Richmond, BC. (The Deck is behind the hotel, on the marina side.)
Time: 6PM
Visuals: Hotel workers chanting and marching with signs and noisemakers.
http://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.png00Michelle Travishttp://www.uniteherelocal40.org/wp-content/uploads/local40logo-300x155.pngMichelle Travis2023-12-29 11:13:562023-12-29 11:13:56Media Advisory: “Will representatives of the Fijiian Honourary Consul of Canada be crossing our picket line?” Strikers to hold New Year’s Eve Protest at The Deck at Radisson Blu
Media Advisory: NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to Join Workers’ Rally to End Wage Discrimination at YVR Vancouver Airport
Nearly 2000 workers sign petition to YVR, call for a living wage for all YVR workers
Richmond, BC – This FRIDAY, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh will rally with YVR Vancouver International Airport workers in their fight to end wage discrimination at YVR, recently-rated the best airport in North America. A petition will be delivered to YVR, signed by nearly 2000 workers at the airport, which calls on the Vancouver Airport Authority to ensure a $25 living wage is paid to all YVR workers.
The Vancouver Airport Authority is a certified Living Wage Employer, yet over a thousand contracted food service, retail, and other workers at the airport are not covered by their living wage policy, with many earning minimum wage or just above. According to employment data obtained by the Union, YVR workers who are not covered by the living wage are 78% women, and most are immigrants. This is in stark contrast to YVR’s own staff, who earn a living wage and are majority male, and 65% white.
Yesterday, YVR Airport was named the top airport in North America by Skytrax. In a quote from Tamara Vrooman, YVR President and CEO, she states “Regaining our top spot as Best Airport in North America is a result of the dedication and hard work of our employees and everyone working here at YVR to serve travellers and our community.” At tomorrow’s rally, YVR’s low-paid workers, joined by labour and community allies, are standing up against YVR Airport’s wage discrimination for the respect and fair pay they deserve.
Last month, over 200 YVR Airport food service workers voted 85% in favour of strike action in their fight for a living wage. The impact of job actions at the world-class airport may cause disruptions as the busy travel season approaches.
WHAT: Rally to End Wage Discrimination at YVR
WHO: MP Jagmeet Singh with YVR Airport workers, joined by fellow hospitality workers and community allies
WHEN: FRIDAY, April 19
TIME: 2:00 PM
LOCATION: YVR International Arrivals (street level), 3211 Grant McConachie Wy, Richmond
VISUALS: MP Jagmeet Singh, airport workers and allies chanting, marching, and speaking with colourful banners, signs, and bullhorns.
Media Contact: Sharan Pawa, 604-710-1693, [email protected]
Press Release: BREAKING – YVR Airport Food Service Workers Vote Overwhelmingly in Favour of Strike Action
Possible airport disruptions during spring break and easter weekend travel rush
Richmond, BC – Food service workers at YVR Vancouver International Airport voted 85% in favour of strike action yesterday. The workers – represented by UNITE HERE Local 40 – are employed by one of YVR’s largest food service operators, SSP Canada Food Services. After months of bargaining, over 200 low-paid SSP workers could walk off the job in their fight to earn Metro Vancouver’s living wage.
The workers serve travelers at dozens of food outlets located in the airport’s domestic and international terminals. Job actions would disrupt daily airport operations as the spring break and Easter weekend rush approaches, with over 1.1 million passengers projected to travel through YVR Airport in the next few weeks.
Recent Union data shows the average food service wage at the world-class airport to be only $18.27 – well below Metro Vancouver’s living wage of $25.68. Meanwhile, YVR Airport generated $492 million in 2022 and is on track to exceed that figure in 2023. In a survey of YVR food service workers conducted last month by the Union, 89% are struggling to keep up with bills or housing costs. 92% of these workers have had to cut back on other expenses to get by each month including nearly 40% stating they are buying less fresh food, and 52% who are not able to support family members as they have previously.
Of the workers at YVR Airport who do not earn a living wage, 78% of those surveyed are women, and most are immigrants. A large majority of SSP food service workers are racialized women. SSP food service worker demographics are in stark contrast to YVR’s own staff, who earn a living wage and are majority male, 65% white.
In addition to standing united for a living wage, the workers are fighting to have their transit reimbursement program reinstated by SSP. This program covers Uber and taxi rides for all SSP food service staff who work outside of SkyTrain hours. Currently, the workers are expected to spend hundreds of dollars on ride costs each month in order to work their scheduled shifts at the airport.
With this strike vote, food service workers send a strong message: end wage discrimination at YVR. Picket lines could go up after workers issue 72-hour strike notice.
Media Contact: Sharan Pawa, 604-710-1693, [email protected]
Job Posting: Social Justice Union Organizer (Vancouver)
UNITE HERE Local 40, BC’s union for hospitality workers, is seeking a Social Justice Union Organizer to recruit, train and mobilize workers to win strong workplace standards. We are committed to developing rank-and-file leadership, organizing the unorganized, and to building a strong, fighting labour union.
Candidates must demonstrate a commitment to working for social justice through a strong a labour movement. 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. The position entails irregular hours including work in the evenings and weekends.
Job Duties:
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.
Salary: $60,000 starting salary but commensurate with experience.
Contact:
Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume outlining relevant experience and including references to [email protected]. Only candidates meeting all requirements will be contacted for interviews.
Press Release: YVR Airport Ends Ride Reimbursement Program Impacting Low Wage Workers
Low-paid food service workers, a majority racialized women, forced to spend hundreds out of pocket on transit costs
Richmond, BC – YVR International Airport suddenly on February 1st ended their transit reimbursement program which covers Uber and taxi rides for all airport staff who work outside of SkyTrain hours. This forces already low-paid food service workers to spend hundreds of dollars on ride costs in order to work their scheduled shifts at the airport, which can start or end between 1AM to 5AM.
UNITE HERE Local 40 – which represents YVR food service workers – has filed a Labour Board complaint against one of YVR’s largest food service operators, SSP Canada Food Services, for not reinstating its own long-standing practice of reimbursing staff for Uber and taxi rides outside of SkyTrain hours, which pre-dated the YVR program. YVR Airport began its own ride reimbursement program during the pandemic when food service operational hours were extended, at which point SSP discontinued its own program. SSP has not agreed to reinstate its own practice as of February 1st.
“I start my shift at the airport at 5:30AM, and I live in East Vancouver,” said Alexis Garciano, a worker at Sal Y Limon at YVR. “To get to there on time, I now have to pay for my Ubers early in the morning which is costing me an extra $100/week. I can’t change my work schedule either, because I have a son who I need to take care of in the afternoons. I’m an international student who also has to pay for my rent and tuition fees. For only getting paid $19.50/hour for my work at the airport, this added transit cost really hurts me and my family.”
YVR Airport generated $492 million in 2022 and is on track to exceed that figure in 2023. Meanwhile, hundreds of food service workers at YVR Airport earn well below Metro Vancouver’s living wage of $25.68; recent Union data shows the average food service wage to be only $18.27. A large majority of these workers are racialized women. In addition to their low wages at the world-class airport, some of these workers now have to pay up to $150 per week just to get to work.
“I’m a cook and I only accepted 4:30AM starting shifts because I was told I would be reimbursed for ride costs to the airport,” said Jennie Padilla, from Sal Y Limon at YVR. “I already have to pay for my own Compass transit card, and at times when public transit is not an option for workers, we should be reimbursed for rides needed to get to our jobs. YVR set our new earlier opening time, but now they are making the workers suffer by making us pay to get to work. Personally, it’s costing me around $25 every time I need to take an Uber to my morning shift, because no other options are available. This isn’t right, and I’m going to keep standing up for myself and for my coworkers until YVR shows us respect.”
Media Contact: Sharan Pawa, [email protected], 604-710-1693
Media Advisory: “Will representatives of the Fijiian Honourary Consul of Canada be crossing our picket line?” Strikers to hold New Year’s Eve Protest at The Deck at Radisson Blu
Richmond, BC – Striking hotel workers at Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport hotel will be ringing in 2024 with a protest over a New Year’s Eve event planned at the hotel’s restaurant, The Deck. Strikers have urged party organizers not to cross their picket line and requested they move their event elsewhere. The party is being co-organized by Abhi Prasad, Assistant to the Fijian Honourary Consul of Canada and head of Surrey-based Metropolitan Security, with Sparq Productions.
Workers have been on strike at Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport hotel for over two years – since hotel management terminated 143 workers, or 70% of their staff, during the pandemic. This impacted nearly all the hotel’s housekeepers and The Deck staff. Most of the impacted workers are women; many are from the South Asian community and worked at the hotel complex for decades. It is currently the longest hotel strike in Canada.
Protest Details
When: New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2023
Where: The Deck at Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport hotel, 3500 Cessna Drive, Richmond, BC. (The Deck is behind the hotel, on the marina side.)
Time: 6PM
Visuals: Hotel workers chanting and marching with signs and noisemakers.
Media Contact: Sharan Pawa, [email protected], 604-710-1693