TORONTO—Today, members and leaders of UNITE HERE, Canada’s hospitality workers’ union, called on government leaders to implement three essentials for a fair and safe return to work for Canadian hospitality workers, who 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.

“The challenges facing Canada’s hospitality workers are unprecedented and it affects a truly diverse workforce, the majority of whom are women and immigrants, said Ian Robb, UNITE HERE Canadian Director, “These challenges demand attention by all levels of government, and while the federal government moved quickly to set up programs to address the crisis, we want workers to remain front and center of any relief targeting the hospitality and travel sector. That means tackling problems from the bottom up, rather than top-down.”

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.  The following are UNITE HERE Canada’s 3 principals for a fair, safe and successful recovery for hospitality:

1. Protect workers’ jobs
2. A safe route back to work
3. Income support for the full duration of the crisis

Read the complete Three Essentials For A Safe Recovery.

Christie Spiteri, full-time server at the Chateau Victoria Hotel & Suites
“Since the pandemic started, my hotel has only called back a few of my co-workers and there is no word on when the rest of us are going to be brought back. Most of our employers are not using the federal Wage Subsidy program to keep all of us on the payroll. It’s nice that the government wants to extend it through 2020, but how will they make sure it helps workers like me? Those of us who are laid-off just need a legal right to return to our jobs as business recovers. We don’t want our employer using the pandemic as an excuse to replace us.”

Naden Abenes, room attendant at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver
“Our hotel re-opened in June, but we expect occupancy in our hotel to be low for some time. This season should be our busiest.  But with limited travel, cancelled conferences and cruise ships, there won’t be many visitors coming to Vancouver. We need the Government to pay attention to what hospitality workers need. We were laid off because of the pandemic, not because we did anything wrong. We need Government to protect our jobs so laid-off workers can return to work when it is time to go back.  We need our jobs to be safe.  And finally, we need income to support ourselves while we’re unemployed, so we don’t fall through the cracks.”

Leonora Mulholland, room attendant at the Royal York Hotel Toronto
“The hotel industry’s main product is a clean hotel room, and I’m proud of my work, but I also need to know that the government is doing everything it can to make sure that me and my co-workers can return to work safely. Cleaning hotel rooms every day makes us safer. . The World Health Organization recommends suspending programs that let guests skip housekeeping, and British Columbia just changed its public health guidance from only cleaning after guests check out, to include daily room cleaning. Clean equals safe, and we need the government to implement enforceable standards to make sure that our industry doesn’t cut corners.”

Nia Winston, President, UNITE HERE Local 24 Detroit
“The situation today in the United States is a cautionary tale. Across the country, cases of COVID-19 are still skyrocketing, our industries are unlikely to return soon, and our unemployment benefits of $600 per week will expire at the end of July. Without these benefits, it will be nearly impossible for workers to support their families. Canadian officials have an opportunity to do things differently by protecting workers as they return to their jobs and providing income support so long as their workplaces remain closed. I strongly urge the Canadian government to heed this message and to act to implement these three essentials, because you have an opportunity to get this right.”

###

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.