The City of Richmond has joined forces with 143 hotel workers who have been on strike for more than a year.
Richmond city council has adopted a resolution to not give any business to the Pacific Gateway Hotel on Cessna Drive until hotel management reaches an agreement with the workers’ union, UNITE HERE.
The resolution comes after a delegation of striking hotel workers appeared and spoke before city council in April to urge them to cease spending any public money at the hotel.
According to the union, the city informed the hotel owner, the PHI Hotel Group, of city council’s resolution in a letter this week.
During the pandemic, the PHI Hotel Group allowed the federal government to use Pacific Gateway as a quarantine site, but Red Cross workers were used instead of the hotel’s own staff, who were temporarily laid off at the time due to the COVID-induced downturn in the industry.
The government then pulled out of the contract with the hotel in January of this year, citing concerns over the hotel’s treatment of workers.
Worker thankful for city support
“I’m happy that Richmond City Council decided to adopt the resolution,” said Treva Martell, a terminated server from Pacific Gateway and a Richmond resident.
“We’re the ones who built up this hotel and made it its name. I’m glad council understands this is bad for Richmond residents and bad for business.
“Their decision sends a strong message that they will not condone the hotel’s actions. Thank you to Richmond city councillors for standing behind us workers. It means so much to me.”
Most of the terminated workers are women, one of whom, a housekeeper, filed a human rights complaint against the hotel last year on behalf of herself and 89 other women for wrongful firings on the basis of sex and racial discrimination.
Unequal Women campaign kicked off
UNITE HERE Local 40 launched the B.C. Unequal Women campaign to highlight how women have borne the brunt of pandemic terminations in the hospitality industry.
Since the launch of the campaign, hotels across B.C. have agreed to bring their workers back to their pre-pandemic jobs, including Hilton Metrotown which recently resolved a 13-month lockout.
Pacific Gateway, says the union, has refused to return workers to their jobs.
