Camp workers at Horizon North Crossroads Lodge have joined approximately 300 camp workers in Kitimat who are part of UNITE HERE Local 40 after voting overwhelmingly in favour of a three-year union contact.
Ninety-seven per cent of lodge workers voted in support of the contract on May 11.
The agreement, which covers staff at the front desk, kitchens, and housekeeping departments who serve camp workers at the LNG Canada project site, provides 100 per cent employer-paid air travel and health care for workers. It also includes pension, housekeeping workload protections, seniority, recall rights and raises which will increase some workers’ wages by up to 24 per cent.
READ MORE: Horizon North construction to start soon
The agreement is a result of five months of bargaining and concluded with the signing of the contract in early May. “The contract sets a groundbreaking standard in wages and travel for Kitimat camp workers,” reads a May 12 release put out by UNITE HERE Local 40. The union said the new contract was extremely timely for workers considering both skyrocketing cost of living figures within the region and the broader economic impacts of COVID-19.
Employees at the lodge also expressed support for the new deal.
“I’m very excited about the housekeeping protections that we’ve won,” said Ingrid Kujendani, who works as housekeeper at the lodge. “With more money in my pocket, life will be tremendously better for my family.”
For Kathy Wallace, who works as a cook, the new contract means she will pocket thousands of dollars more each year. She said she was thankful to Horizon North for continuing to bargain on behalf of its workers despite the ongoing impacts of COVID-19. “I’m so proud that we were able to win this tremendous contract in the middle of the pandemic,” she said. “Between the wage increases, travel pay, and pension, this is such a huge step forward for us.”
The union, which now represents some 300 camp workers in the region, is also currently organizing with Sodexo workers at Cedar Valley Lodge.
trevor.hewitt@interior-news.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
