Hotels and hospitality workers were both harmed by the pandemic and there continue to be hard feelings.
Coast Bastion Hotel workers rallied in front of the hotel on Friday evening, Sept. 24, to express dissatisfaction with contract talks with the employer.
Stephanie Fung, spokesperson for Unite Here union Local 40, said close to 50 staff members were fired during the pandemic and said the hotel is using the pandemic as an excuse not to bargain in good faith.
“They’ve been trying to increase workloads, roll back economic gains these workers have made over the years and workers have had enough,” she said. “We deserve to go back to our jobs, we deserve to be protected and have job security and the hotel’s not giving them any of that.”
Fung said it’s “devastating” that the hotel is “kicking [workers] down even more” after the hardship of the pandemic, but said there is still some hope for a positive resolution.
Coast Hotels, in a statement, said it is actively bargaining with Unite Here Local 40.
“We are meeting, exchanging proposals and making a sincere attempt to reach an agreement and will continue to keep bargaining at the bargaining table,” the statement noted. “The industry and the hotel continue to be severely negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the only place to resolve these issues is at the bargaining table.”
-files from Chris Bush/News Bulletin
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