The BC Federation of Labour’s Executive Officers today voted unanimously to declare a boycott of the Coast Hotel Victoria & Marina over the hotel’s lockout of its frontline staff, members of UNITE HERE Local 40.
“We reserve boycotts for the worst of employer behaviours, and this is certainly a case in point,” said BCFED President Sussanne Skidmore. “There’s no excuse for locking out workers who are just fighting for safe workloads, proper staffing levels and wages high enough to let them live in the city they serve.”
“We thank the BC Federation of Labour for standing with Coast Victoria Hotel workers who’ve been locked out for demanding what no one should have to beg for: a living wage,” said UNITE HERE Local 40 President Zailda Chan.
“Let’s call this what it is: corporate retaliation. This hotel would rather throw its workers out than treat them fairly. They forget that Victoria is a union town. When workers stand together, no amount of greed or intimidation will defeat us.”
“We’re calling on union members and the general public to refuse to do business with the Coast Hotel Victoria & Marina until this dispute is settled,” said BCFED Secretary-Treasurer Hermender Singh Kailley. “The employer needs to end the lockout and work with the union to reach a fair agreement. They can’t treat workers this way and get away with it.”