Workers vote to give union reps a strike mandate at three more downtown Vancouver hotels

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      Unite Here! Local 40 has announced that workers have voted 89 percent in favour of strike action at the Hyatt, Westin Bayshore, and Pinnacle hotels in Vancouver.

      No strike notice has been given to the Hyatt, Westin Bayshore, or Pinnacle, according to United Here! Local 40 spokesperson Sharan Pawa.

      The votes came more than two weeks after workers at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia voted 84 percent to give the same union local a strike mandate.

      The Rosewood Hotel Georgia responded by issuing 72 hours' lockout notice, which expired on August 22.

      Unite Here! Local 40 posted this photo of hotel workers demonstrating for better treatment from their employer.
      United Here Local 40

      There are about 1,500 unionized employees at the four hotels.

      "While Vancouver’s hospitality industry enjoys record profits, the hotels have failed to bargain a contract for staff with livable wages and enough hours to create jobs that can sustain a family in Vancouver, Richmond, Coquitlam or Surrey," the union states on its website. "Safety is also a top concern as heavy workloads commonly cause injuries to workers, and several women have recently come forward about sexual harassment and assault faced on the job.

      "Workers at the hotels, most of whom have been without a new contract for over a year, are frustrated with their current working conditions and are prepared to act to achieve changes for a better life."

      The Rosewood Hotel Georgia is facing a human rights complaint after workers alleged they were assaulted and sexually assaulted by guests.
      WPCPEY/Wikimedia Commons

      Allegations of assault and sexual harassment by guests have been outlined in a human rights complaint against the Rosewood Hotel Georgia.

      The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal has not issued a ruling in the case.

      Meanwhile, Unite Here! Local 40 employees at the nearby Four Seasons Vancouver could lose their jobs when the hotel closes on January 31, 2020.

      The company that owns the hotel announced earlier this year that it wasn't going to renew its lease with Cadillac Fairview, which owns Pacific Centre and the hotel building.

      Business in Vancouver reported in December 2017 that the landlord wanted to sign a leasing deal with Marriott Canada.

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