Striking hotel workers claim YVR Sheraton violated labour codes

Unionized hotel workers say the Sheraton Vancouver International Airport (YVR) hotel violated labour codes on Tuesday for the fifth time since their strike began.

Unite Here Local 40 says the Sheraton continued to rebook rooms for its guests and prebooked events to the neighbouring Marriot and Hilton airport hotels over the course of the union’s strike.

“It is unacceptable that this employer continues to violate the law while refusing to sit down with our members at the bargaining table and seriously address workers’ concerns in an effort to resolve this dispute,” said Unite Here Local 40 President Zailda Chan.

Read more:

• Workers at Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel begin strike: union

• Vancouver hotel workers vote in favour of strike

• Workers at hotel near YVR vote in favour of strike action

The union has been on strike and picketing from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily outside all three hotels since strike action began on June 14.

As it explains, the Marriot and Hilton hotels at YVR are “non-union properties” and are operated by Larco Hospitality — the same company that operates the YVR Sheraton.

“It is unacceptable that @SheratonYVR continues to violate the law, while refusing to sit down with our members at the bargaining table and seriously address workers’ concerns in an effort to resolve this dispute." https://t.co/gycScjs36g #bcpoli #cdnpoli #bclab #canlab #yvr pic.twitter.com/mkYhDyXEGm

— Unite Here Local 40 (@UniteHere40) August 23, 2023

The Labour Board issued the Sheraton a cease and desist order for wrongful conduct on June 17 according to a release from the union, a motion that it says didn’t stop the Sheraton’s violations.

“Our Union remains concerned about the ongoing illegal activities by Larco Hospitality in their attempts to undermine our strike action. We are now in our third month on strike for living wages at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport hotel, with workers continuing to picket daily outside the Sheraton, Marriott, and Hilton hotels in Richmond. Our members will not give up their fight until they win the contract they need to support their families in Metro Vancouver,” said Chan.

The union adds that the BC Federation of Labour has “declared a public boycott of all three hotels.”