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New president sworn in for hotel, food service union

A new president has been sworn in for the UNITE HERE Local 40 union, which represents hotel and food service employees in Prince George and throughout B.C.
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UNITE HERE Local 40 members hold a rally in support of food and catering workers at UNBC in January.

A new president has been sworn in for the UNITE HERE Local 40 union, which represents hotel and food service employees in Prince George and throughout B.C.

Zailda Chan, who ran in contested union elections earlier this year, won the position overwhelmingly, with 62 per cent of the vote. Taj Parmar, a cook based at the Nanaimo Golf Club, was defeated after capturing 37 per cent of the vote. Chan and other members of the union's executive board were all sworn in at a media event on Wednesday in Vancouver.

The UNITE HERE Local 40 union represents thousands of food service and hospitality employees in the province, including staff at the Ramada Prince George, the Coast Inn of the North, Compass Group food service staff at UNBC and the Travelodge Prince George Goldcap.

The union election was held via mail-in ballots, and concluded at the end of February. Leah Williams, a worker at the Coast Inn of the North, who ran for a position as the union's executive board member, told The Citizen last month the local had failed to represent workers in the north. She said the former president of the local, Robert Demand, had attempted to remove the elected position of a representative for the Cariboo region, as well as for other areas outside of the Lower Mainland, on the union's executive board.

Williams was defeated in the election, as were most members of her slate of candidates, known as "A Better Choice."

Chan ran with a slate of candidates under the name of "Robert's Team," so named after Demand. Demand had been deemed ineligible to run in the election due to arrears in union dues. All members of "Robert's Team" were elected to positions on the union's executive board.

In a media release, Local 40 said Zailda Chan was the first Chinese-Canada union leader in B.C.'s history. The local will be lead predominantly by women; Nomelita Paguio, a former room attendant at the Westin Bayshore hotel in Vancouver, was elected vice-president, while Christina Bencze, a former employee of the Gate Gourmet flight kitchen near the Vancouver International Airport, was elected the finance secretary-treasurer.

"Our new executive includes workers from all over the province - from Victoria to Prince George. We are a force to be reckoned with," Chan said in the release.

The release also said Demand would continue working with the local as a negotiator. Close to a third of the union's membership will be holding contract talks this year.

UNITE HERE Local 40's affiliate in Toronto, UNITE HERE Local 75 was at the centre of controversy within the labour movement in January after several staff members and president Lis Pimentel split with the union and joined the UNIFOR union.

UNIFOR had split from the Canadian Labour Congress earlier in the month, citing concerns that Local 75's American affiliate, UNITE HERE!, had been bullying local unions in Canada.

The move sparked outrage amongst affiliates of the Canadian Labour Congress, and drew criticism from Irene Lanzinger, president of the B.C. Federation of Labour.

The Citizen reached out to Local 40 for comment, but did not receive a reply by deadline.

In Prince George, Local 40 is in the midst of contract negotiations at both the Ramada Prince George, and with the Compass/Chartwells food service provider at UNBC.