Another surprise walkout was called Saturday morning in a Montreal hotel, this time by the 350 CSN union members of the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, located in the Desjardins complex in Montreal.
These employees are on strike for the day, from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., while around a hundred workers at the Hôtel Faubourg Montréal ended their strike at 8 a.m. Saturday morning, at the end of a 24-hour walkout, the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) indicated in a press release.
The 600 employees of the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel, also located in downtown Montreal, were also on strike Friday.
These workers are asking for a 36% wage increase over four years. Their union argues that they have had increases totaling 8% over the last four years, well below inflation, which exceeded this rate in 2022 alone.
“These surprise strikes, one after the other, demonstrate the determination of workers to make themselves heard and respected,” said Michel Valiquette, head of the hotel sector and treasurer of the Fédération du commerce (FC-CSN).
He added that “these renewed demonstrations of the mobilization and solidarity of hotel employees send a clear message to employers: they must negotiate seriously.”
The union members are also demanding three weeks of vacation from the first year of service, to attract new workers, an employer contribution to the group insurance plan and better supervision of training for the next generation.
“This movement of surprise strikes will not magically stop. It is set to grow even larger if employers do not put the pedal to the metal in their willingness to negotiate. It is up to them,” said Chantal Ide, Vice-President of the Conseil central du Montréal métropolitain (CCMM-CSN).