Unionized cooks, room attendants and banquet servers staged a rally outside of the lobby of the Ramada Plaza Prince George on Thursday afternoon.
Roughly 50 workers and supporters waved signs and chanted "one day longer, union's getting stronger" outside the front doors of the hotel. Workers, represented by the Unite Here Local 40 union, have been in bargaining for close to one year. A media statement from the union said that employees were upset about wages and understaffing at the hotel.
Jean-Paul Langevin, who works as a third cook at the Ramada, said low wages were what brought him out to the picket. He said he currently makes $13.55 an hour.
"We're making the lowest wage in all the hotels so far in Prince George. And it's just unacceptable," Langevin said.
"Servers, housekeeping, all of our laundry staff and cooks, it's not any specific department, we are the lowest paid union job as far as I know."
Stacey Moen, who also works as a cook at the Ramada, spoke to the crowd through a megaphone. She spoke about issues related to understaffing and supplies at the hotel.
"We work under minimal staffing and we work with minimal supplies to go with that staffing. We get our hours cut all the time," Moen said.
Union rally by @UniteHere40 at the Prince George Ramada #canlab pic.twitter.com/NyQRj62CSM
— Stuart Neatby (@stu_neatby) April 19, 2018
Moen is an elected member of Unite Here Local 40's executive board, a position she recently won in the union's winter elections.
Several staff members employed by UNBC's food service contractor Compass Group, who are also Local 40 members in the midst of bargaining, were also present at the rally. Staff from other Prince George unions, including the United Steelworkers and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers also attended the picket.
Although management representatives from the Ramada Prince George would not comment on the specific issues raised relating to bargaining, they issued a statement to the Citizen by email.
"We look forward to a positive outcome of the bargaining process," the statement read.
"We encourage employees to engage with their union and representatives. This ensures that the majority's sentiments are truly being represented throughout the negotiation process. Events such as these are a staple of union engagement. We fully support the participation of our employees and have taken steps to accommodate the event to the best of our ability."
One worker at the rally suggested that the bargaining might require the involvement of an arbitrator.
Earl Milward, who has worked as a banquet server at the hotel for over two years, said he believed the impasse of bargaining might require outside help.
"I'd like to see an arbitrator come in - independent, fair - and get a contract," Milward said.
"Someone else has to make up their mind for them."
