Hilton Laval hotel employees first in Quebec to reach contract deal

The union members of the Hilton Hotel in Laval have ratified the agreement in principle that was reached with the employer to renew their collective agreement, by a margin of 89 per cent.

This settlement is the first to be reached within the framework of the coordinated negotiations being conducted by the Fédération du commerce, affiliated with the CSN, in a potential 30 hotels in the regions of Montreal, Quebec City, Saguenay and Eastern Townships regions.

The federation now hopes to export this settlement to the other hotels, even if they are different employers.

“This agreement paves the way for the 29 other unions that are part of the coordinated negotiations, so gains have been made on our seven negotiation priorities,” said Michel Valiquette, treasurer and sector representative at the Fédération du commerce, in an interview.

The agreement provides for a 10 per cent salary increase for the first year, then 3 per cent for the second, 3 per cent for the third and 5 per cent for the fourth year, Valiquette specified.

It also includes improvements to vacations, namely a third week after two years of service and a seventh week after 30 years.

It also provides for an increase in the employer’s contribution to group insurance, as well as other clauses affecting training, personnel agencies, workload and tips, Valiquette added.

“I think they understood that it is not an expense to provide good working conditions to our workers, but rather an investment. There was also mobilization; there were strike days that were also held in this file,” Valiquette noted to explain the conclusion of the agreement.

The union members at the Hilton in Laval had walked out at the same time as several of their colleagues from other hotels, on Aug. 8 and 30during a joint strike day.

They also walked off on three other days, he added.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews