Broad Support for BC Hospitality Workers
Hotel Workers Hold Militant Action on International Women's Day
On International Women's Day hotel workers in BC launched a
campaign to increase awareness of their fight in defence of hotel
workers. The campaign, organized by workers represented by Unite Here
Local 40, entitled Unequal Women -- 19th Century Treatment in 21st
Century British Columbia, was announced at a militant
demonstration and press conference at Jack Poole Plaza in Vancouver.
Local 40 President Zailda Chan and workers from several hotels laid out
the demands of hotel workers -- the majority of whom are national
minority women -- that the hotels stop firings and guarantee all workers
the right to return to their jobs when the industry reopens.
Workers have held demonstrations, press conferences, and other
actions including a 22-day hunger strike at the BC legislature in 2020
to inform everyone of what is happening and to create public opinion in
support of their cause. As a result some hotels have agreed to extend
recall rights and not fire workers who have been laid off as a result
of the pandemic. Other hotels continue to use the pandemic as
justification to permanently fire workers and refuse to negotiate
extended recall periods. Part of the campaign is to call on hotel
customers to take their business only to those hotels that have extended workers' recall rights.
 Workers at the Hilton Metrotown Hotel started a partial strike on February 3
against the owners'
attack on workers' rights. Speaking to Workers' Forum
about the situation at Hilton Metrotown, Michelle Travis, a
spokesperson for Unite Here Local 40, explained that in negotiations on
the contract and with regard to the COVID-19-related shutdowns during
the past year, hotel management has refused to extend the recall
period beyond 12 months, a time frame that is clearly inappropriate in
light of the extraordinary circumstances. Hotel owners have been openly
begging the government for bailout money, saying that if they do not
get public funds workers will lose their jobs, trying to create public
opinion in their favour. While putting this face forward, behind the
scenes they are attempting to use the pandemic as a cover to get rid of
workers, particularly those with the greatest seniority. In contract
negotiations, the hotel is demanding concessions that would reduce some
workers' pay to minimum wage, cut medical benefits, eliminate pensions,
and other rollbacks. "Those most impacted are women who are
already disproportionately impacted by the economic repercussions of
the pandemic," Travis said, adding "They want to gut medical benefits
in the midst of a world-wide medical emergency and use mass firings as
an extortionary tactic to gut working conditions. It's outrageous."
The BC NDP government also has to be held to account for
consistently refusing to take up its social responsibility to protect
jobs through guaranteeing recall rights and prohibiting the
manipulation of the labour law by employers. Eight months ago Premier
Horgan told a press conference, "We're calling on employers to do
the right thing and
make sure they're keeping their workforce intact to the greatest extent
possible, we expect that to happen, if we need to take steps using the
legislature to protect workers, we'll do that." In practice his
government has refused to act and has left the workers to fend for
themselves.
At the press conference the union reported that they will be
organizing other actions to keep up the pressure and hold employers and
the government to account in the coming days and weeks until their
demands are met.
This article was published in
Number 17 - March 15, 2021
Article Link:
Broad Support for BC Hospitality Workers: Hotel Workers Hold Militant Action on International Women's Day
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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