MONTREAL — On August 30th, more than 2,500 workers at 22 hotels in Montreal, Sherbrooke and Quebec City launched a one-day strike to speed up contract talks, reports CBC News. The employees, who are affiliated with the CSN labour federation, held a similar 24-hour walkout on August 8.
The hotel employees want a 36 per cent pay increase over four years and an end to the use of private employment agencies, among other demands.
Hotel managers have said that the union is asking for a lot and argued that working conditions in the industry are already good, but they also said they were willing to negotiate.
At a press conference in front of the Hyatt Place Montreal, where workers picketed, David Bergeron-Cyr, the VP of the CSN, said it’s an opportune moment for workers to strike.
“[Right now, the hotel industry is making a lot of money, so now’s the time for the most important part] of the hotel, which are the human beings, the women, the men, to have their fair share of those profits,” said Bergeron-Cyr.
