Workers at the Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa have gone on strike and formed a picket line.
Resort employees, represented by UNITE HERE Local 40, are staging a three-day strike over the weekend after negotiations failed on Thursday (July 4) “without significant progress,” according to a union press release.
According to the union, revenue from hotel rooms in the Fraser Valley Regional District, which includes Harrison, has increased by 42 percent.
“Workers at Harrison Hot Springs Resort want management to invest in providing the highest quality jobs,” said Zailda Chan, president of UNITE HERE Local 40. “Low wages, understaffing and workload issues are impacting morale and guest service. Workers are fed up and are staging a limited strike.”
The Vancouver-based Aldesta Hotel Group owns the Harrison Hot Springs Resort and the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort.
The resort management said it was committed to maintaining a “positive and respectful” dialogue with the affected employees.
“We are actively working with union representatives to address concerns and reach agreements that benefit all parties,” they said The Observer in an emailed statement. “We thank our guests and community for their understanding and patience during this time.”
Resort workers from UNITE HERE Local 40 held a “wake-up rally” at 8 a.m. in June 2021 during a labour dispute between the union and Hospitality Industrial Relations. Back in April, the BC Labour Relations Board served a lockout order on UNITE HERE Local 40 that would have left 1,200 employees in more than a dozen communities unemployed.
At the time, the union pushed for expanded recall rights that would have protected workers at the affected plants and allowed them to return to work after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic when work became available. The 2021 industrial action affected communities from Vancouver to Prince Rupert.
