‘We won’t back down’: Hotel workers across Quebec hold surprise 24-hour strike

Nearly 2,500 unionized hotel employees in Quebec held a second surprise strike Friday.

The strike impacts 22 hotels in Montreal, Quebec City region, and Sherbrooke.

This marks the second 24-hour strike held by union members. The first being held on Aug. 8.

Representatives from the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) held a press conference Friday morning in front of Hyatt Place Montreal, near Place Émilie-Gamelin.

“We won’t back down, we’re going to stand our ground,” said David Bergeron-Cyr, CSN Vice-President. “We’re going to go all the way.”

The union federation is conducting what is called coordinated negotiations in several hotels where it has members. It is seeking to reach a settlement with a first hotel, to then try to extend it to other establishments, even if they are different employers.

The dispute mainly concerns wages.

“The hotel industry, they’re making a lot of money,” said Bergeron-Cyr. “So now is the time for the most important part of those hotels, which is the human beings, the women, the men, to have their fair share of those profits.”

Union members believe they made sacrifices during the COVID-19 pandemic, given the difficult situation in hotels. They are therefore demanding a salary catch-up, including a 15 per cent increase in the first year in 2024. For a four-year contract, they are asking for 36 per cent increases.

“The workers are showing a little of their fed-upness by the attitude of the employers at the negotiating tables. Three weeks have passed between Aug. 8 and Aug. 30: in all, 46 negotiation sessions have taken place at the various negotiating tables. And still no settlement,” denounced Michel Valiquette, responsible for the sector at the Fédération du commerce.

The post-pandemic recovery, “it has taken place and this recovery has been very, very, very profitable for hoteliers. So, we simply expect to get something back,” Valiquette added.

Friday’s strike affects two hotels in Sherbrooke, five in Quebec, with the rest being in Montreal.

Workers were picketing in front of several hotels including Hotel Bonaventure and the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth.

“It’s a solidarity movement,” said Bergeron-Cyr. “So now management is going to have to do what we do every day that is so wonderful for the customers.”

It was an inconvenience for one guest at the Hyatt Place. Jyogindra Jani and his family are visiting from New Jersey.

“It is disheartening because the hotel is devoid of all the services, room services, there is no breakfast,” he said. “But the hotel staff is doing a lot of cooperation, they’re doing their best to support the guests.”

He says the lack of services is tough since he is travelling with toddlers. “We are waiting for the strike to be called off, because once they come back to work, they can resume the services,” he added.

Valérie Foucart is visiting from Belgium and is also staying at the hotel. She says they have provided the minimal amount of service.

“We are very happy with the service, and today they’re striking, so I don’t know too much about the situation,” she said. “But if they’re doing it, they’re doing it for certain reasons, so we understand.”

For Bergeron-Cyr, he wants guests to be in solidarity.

“They should support the people who are making sure that they have an exceptional trip when they’re coming in those hotels,” he said.

This marks the 11th round of negotiations, after talks began in April between hotel owners and the union before stalling.

“Half of the bargaining tables didn’t even make an offer on the salary level, so that’s not acceptable,” said Bergeron-Cyr. “This has to change right away. On different demands that we have on training, on workload, it’s okay. There is some progress.”

Hotels respond to the strike

The Greater Montreal Hotel Association, for its part, maintains that its offers to employees “are very interesting.” It “therefore does not understand the unions’ decision to go on strike.”

“The proposals currently on the table are comparable to the agreement recently reached between the CSN and the Omni Hotel. However, in the space of a few months, the union’s wage demands have more than doubled, now reaching 36 per cent,” denounced the Montreal association.

“Their working conditions are already very good. For example, room attendant jobs mostly pay more than $25 an hour and many hotel employees earn more than $60,000 a year, and even $100,000 in some cases. “In addition, wages have increased at the rate of inflation for the past eight years, which has helped protect the purchasing power of industry employees,” the employers’ association added.

The association says it prefers “dialogue and collaboration rather than disruptive actions, particularly against customers” of hotels. Its members nevertheless hope to reach an agreement with their respective unions while respecting their ability to pay, the association says.

-with files from La Press Canadienne