A strike that has gone on for almost four years at a Richmond hotel has finally been settled.
In a statement from the union, Unite Here Local 40, said this will provide a “pathway back to work” for 143 Radisson Blu hotel workers who were laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the union, this is the longest labour dispute in Canadian history.
The new collective agreement will also give them job security, new workload and tip protections and sets a “new wage standard for Metro Vancouver-area hotel workers,” the union stated.
The agreement states all former employees have the right to return based on seniority, will get improved medical benefits and “personal days,” and sick days can be carried over.
Returning room attendants will earn up to $28.25 per hour, and returning cooks will earn up to $32.50 per hour.
They will also have “unlimited recall protections” in case of another pandemic, another emergency or renovations.
Dozens of workers at the hotel, then called Pacific Gateway, walked off the job on May 3, 2021 demanding their laid-off co-workers be reinstated and protesting wage rollbacks and working conditions.
The union claims the 400-room hotel was fully booked at the time by the federal government as a quarantine site for international travellers.
“Being brave” paid off, said Zailda Chan, president of Local 40, while they were on strike during “rain, snow, heath and other extremes to fight back.”
"Not only did the Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport strikers win back their jobs and a standard-setting union contract, but they also showed that if you dare to fight and never give up, you will win,” said Chan.
The collective agreement was negotiated with the help of mediator Ken Saunders.
A joint statement from the union and the hotel states both parties are committed to “working together in the future with mutual respect and have agreed to several mechanisms to address labour-management issues going forward.”
“It is our intention that the new collective agreement will serve as a reset in our relationship to re-establish and strengthen a productive and positive working relationship between the employer, the union, and the unionized staff,” the joint statement reads.
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