Food service workers at Victoria International Airport have voted in favour of a new contract that includes pay increases and a “first ever” pension plan, their union said Monday.
The three-year deal ends a lengthy labour dispute between the workers and the airport’s food service provider, Compass Group Canada.
United Here Local 40, which represents about 65 workers at the airport’s White Spot, Tim Hortons, Starbucks and Spinnakers on the Fly establishments, said the deal includes retroactive bonuses and raises of up to 24 per cent for some of the lowest-paid workers.
Most workers will earn $15 an hour by June 1 — two years before B.C.’s minimum wage is set to reach that threshold, the union said.
“I think everyone feels it was a real win,” Octavian Cadabeschi, a spokesperson for Local 40, said in an interview. “It took us a long time to get to a point where we came to an agreement.
“But, in the end, it’s an agreement that makes a very significant step forward in terms of making these good jobs.”
Compass Canada said in a statement that it was pleased to confirm the deal between its subsidiary, Eurest Dining Services, and Local 40.
“We look forward to continuing to provide the Greater Victoria Airport Authority and the traveling public with the quality service they have come to rely upon,” the statement said.
Mark Atkins, a cook at Spinnakers on the Fly and a member of the union bargaining committee, said the wage increases will have positive spin-off effects on the workplace. “Not only does it mean that our staff retention will be better, on top of that we’ll be able to attract new people to come to the airport, because it is a great place to work,” he said.
Workers held a number of demonstrations over the course of the dispute and raised concerns that workers could lose their jobs and seniority rights if the airport decides to switch contractors. United Here, which represents about 7,000 hospitality workers across B.C., said “contract flipping” remains a concern and the union plans to continue pressing the airport authority and the provincial government for solutions.
The airport authority did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
