Nearly 500 staff at the Fairmont Empress hotel are set to strike Thursday over what they say is growing frustration with working conditions related to the recent renovation of the hotel.
“Our housekeepers are just breaking down. Some have worked 60 days without a day off,” said union representative Stu Shields. Other issues include management doing union staff work.
“You’ve got managers walking around [the restaurant] clearing tables and pouring coffee. Quit trying to do our work,” he said.
Shields said the union — Unifor Local 4276 — served the company management with a 72-hour strike notice Monday morning. The two parties have been negotiating a three-year contract for several months.
Empress management said in a statement: “We are hopeful for a quick resolution. We pride ourselves in working as a team to provide outstanding service to our guests.”
The current contract expires on Wednesday. Shields said union members voted 97 per cent in favour of the strike three weeks ago but held out serving notice in hopes a deal could be struck.
“We didn’t say anything then because we didn’t want to affect the visitors or the business,” he said.
Shields said he hopes the company agrees to a deal today. “I believe they’re back at the table Tuesday morning 10 a.m. in Victoria,” union communications representative Ian Boyko said Monday evening.
Shields said the company has appeared to be sympathetic to workload concerns since recent renovations but won’t commit to addressing them on paper.
He said the issue stems in part from renovated rooms having more elements such as glass surfaces and mirrors to clean. To meet Fairmont standards, he said this is taking extra time. The company can mandate overtime to staff so they are forced to stay to keep their jobs, he said.
“While the renovations are beautiful, they are creating health and safety issues for staff,” Shields said.
He said the union has proposed that staff have the ability to choose to work overtime and that the company help establish a committee to assess real workload expectations, such as how long it should take to clean rooms.
The Empress has 13 job openings in management and union positions listed on its website.
Empress communications director Kerry Duff said on behalf of the company: “As an employer of choice, we value the contributions of our colleagues and it always our goal to negotiate a collective agreement that represents a fair and reasonable position. Our main goal at this time is to continue discussions with Unifor in order to reach a mutually beneficial agreement. We are optimistic that the issues which remain can be resolved in an effective and timely manner.”
The union called a strike vote in the 2010 negotiations with management, citing a poor offer for wages and benefits.
The century-old hotel has had only one staff strike. In 1999, 400 union staff went on strike for 11 days over wage disputes.
