Parties heed political leaders' calls for truce

TORONTO, ON – After bargaining straight through the night, the union representing over 500 striking Delta Chelsea hotel workers reached a tentative deal with management at 7:00 AM this morning.

Yesterday, political leaders of the area called for a truce. Immediately thereafter, the parties bargained well into the morning. The tentative deal averts the continuation of a strike or lockout threat.

The Union, UNITE HERE Local 75, has lifted picket lines pending a vote on the deal. The negotiating committee will recommend the new terms to the Delta Chelsea members tomorrow for a ratification vote.

Details of the agreement and results of the vote will be released following the vote.

"We’ve grown closer together and with hotel workers from all over the city over the last 10 days," said Lynne Hill, a server in the Delta Chelsea’s Monarchs Pub for 34 years. "We are proud of the strength we have shown."

The workers reached a strike/lockout deadline two weeks ago, and voted 95% to authorize a strike earlier this summer. Employees working for other hotels have staged a successful series of one day strike actions earlier this fall during the G20 Summit and the Toronto International Film Festival, calling attention to the growing divide in the fortunes of hotel companies and hotel workers.

The Delta Hotels & Resorts chain was purchased by the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (bcIMC) from Fairmont in 2007. Delta operates the Delta Chelsea hotel, along with the Delta Toronto East and Delta Airport West, also currently in negotiations with UNITE HERE Local 75 members. The Delta Chelsea is owned by a Hong Kong-based company called Great Eagle Holdings, which owns and operates a handful of luxury properties under the Langham hotels name.

Local 75 represents over 7,000 hotel, hospitality and gaming workers in the Greater Toronto Area.