The Greater Vancouver Hotel Employers Association (GVHEA) expressed "surprise and disappointment" at what it said was a decision by Unite Here Local 40 to cancel the first day of negotiations scheduled to start June 24.
According to the GVHEA, the union rejected both locations it suggested for negotiations. Eric Harris, GVHEA spokesman and chief negotiator, said the date for the start of negotiations had been agreed to several weeks ago.
Harris said: “Since space was no longer available at any of the four hotels represented by the association, we offered to meet at another downtown union hotel, the Coast Plaza, or at the union’s own headquarters. We can’t understand the union’s objections to either of these locations.”
But Unite director Lynn Flandera said in an e-mail that the GVHEA contract has always taken place at one of the GVHEA hotels to make it accessible for workers to attend. “The fact that GVHEA wanted to move bargaining to a less accessible location – for the first time – forced us to delay the start of bargaining until an appropriate location could be secured.”
She added that bargaining is confirmed for June 29.
The GVHEA represents four Vancouver hotels: the Four Seasons, Hyatt Regency Vancouver, Renaissance Vancouver Harbourside Hotel and the Westin Bayshore. The hotels collectively employ approximately 1,600 employees who are represented by Unite Here Local 40.
The current collective agreement expires on June 30.