By Canadian Press

Strike possible by Saturday at Fairmont Empress hotel in Victoria

Mar 4, 2020 | 12:07 PM

VICTORIA — Workers have served strike notice at the Fairmont Empress, a well-known landmark hotel in Victoria.

A statement from Unifor Local 4276 says it represents almost 500 workers in several departments from housekeeping to groundskeeping.

The strike notice expires at 8 a.m. Saturday.  

The union says it is seeking modest gains in wages, benefits, and workload and blames concession demands from the company for the impasse.

Tracey Drake, the hotel’s director of marketing and public relations, says in an email the “main goal” is to continue negotiations and she is optimistic that the remaining issues can be resolved in “an effective and timely manner.” 

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Unifor national president Jerry Dias says the chain “can’t have a first-class hotel without first-class service and first-class working conditions.”

James Griffin, Local 4276 president, says the bargaining committee is confident a new contract can be reached this week, if the hotel drops concession demands. 

“Unifor members at the Empress are committed to the future of this historic hotel, but we’re not prepared to go backwards with our basic working conditions,” Griffin says in the statement. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2020

The Canadian Press