Harrison Hot Springs – JULY 5 UPDATE from Union – Workers at Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa are walking off the job Friday morning and setting up picket lines.
The resort and spa workers, represented by UNITE HERE Local 40, are holding a three-day strike over the busy summer weekend. This comes after bargaining broke off yesterday afternoon with little progress. Workers are striking for fair wages and a reversal of concessions made during the pandemic.
Hotel room revenues in the Fraser Valley Regional District, which includes Harrison Hot Springs, have grown 42% since 2019, yet workers have not shared equitably in those gains.
“Harrison Hot Springs Resort workers want management to invest in providing top quality jobs. Low wages, short staffing and workload issues affect morale and guest service. Workers are fed up, which is why they’re taking limited strike action,” said Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40.
Harrison Hot Springs Resort is owned by Aldesta Hotel Group, a subsidiary of Salience Global Holdings, which also owns Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, luxury waterfront resorts, and two islands in the Great Barrier Reef.
JULY 4 ORIGINAL STORY – On June 26, Workers at Harrison Hot Springs Resort have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action, with over 96% voting yes. The workers are members of UNITE HERE Local 40.
The workers’ collective agreement expired in May. The Union filed a bad faith bargaining charge after the company failed to respond to requests to bargain in February. The Union and the company have held several bargaining dates and will resume negotiations this week.
On July 4, in an on line posting, the union workers stated that there will be a three day strike , which coincides with the start of the latest heat wave.
The strike is July 5, 6 and 7.
Harrison Hot Springs Resort is owned by Aldesta Hotel Group, a subsidiary of Salience Global Holdings. Last year, Aldesta acquired the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort for $40 million.
