MEDIA ADVISORY FOR TELEPRESS CONFERENCE—Thursday, July 16, 2020 at 12pET/9aPT
Contact: Meghan Cohorst, [email protected], 239-503-1533

Click here to register in advance

Hospitality workers union UNITE HERE Canada to detail state of Canadian hospitality industry, call for implementation of essential recommendations for a safe and successful return to work 

UNITE HERE Canada will host a video press conference on state of Canadian hospitality and steps necessary to ensure a safe and successful return to work. Union members and leadership will share their personal experiences, concerns, and recommendations, including a perspective on lessons to be learned from reopening experience in the U.S.

WHEN: Thursday, July 16 at 12:00pm ET / 9:00am PT

WHERE: Zoom— Click here to register for access information

WHO: 

• UNITE HERE members working in the hotel industry in British Columbia and Ontario
• Ian Robb, UNITE HERE Canadian Director
• Nia Winston, UNITE HERE Local 24 President, Detroit, MI USA

WHY:  Canadian hospitality workers—including more than 18,000 represented by the six UNITE HERE locals in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia—were among the first and hardest hit by the economic impact of COVID-19. Over 90% of hospitality workers in the country’s hotels, airports, stadiums, universities, schools, and remote resource camps have been laid off since March.

Analysts predict that the industry may not fully recover until Summer 2022, leading to fewer available jobs, extended periods of unemployment, and uncertainty for tens of thousands of Canadian workers and their families. Putting workers at the center of the recovery is key for preventing a second wave of COVID-19 in Canada and for restoring confidence in their return to work.

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UNITE HERE is a labour union that represents over 300,000 members working in the hotel, gaming, food service, manufacturing, textile, distribution, laundry, transportation, and airport industries in North America. UNITE HERE represents over 18,000 hotel and hospitality workers across six locals in Canada.