Former union put into trusteeship by American parent
Workers at two downtown Toronto hotels voted on Jan. 29 to leave the American union on that had fired their local leadership and seized its assets, choosing to join Unifor, Canada's largest private sector union.
"The workers at these hotels are speaking with a loud and clear voice that they will not put up with the kind of bullying and intimidation that we see too often coming from American unions in Canada," said Jerry Dias, Unifor national president.
The votes at the Courtyard Marriott and the Marriott Yorkville were the first of many among hospitality workers across Toronto and Mississauga. Workers at the Westin Prince will vote on Wednesday, while those at the Hyatt Regency downtown and the Quality Hotel and Suites near the airport vote on Friday, said the union.
Workers at the King Edward, Doubletree Metropolitan and Delta Toronto Airport hotels vote next Monday, with more votes planned for later in the week, according to Unifor.
"I voted to join Unifor today because I am fed up with an American union trying to tell us what to do and what we should fight for in bargaining with the employer," said Roberto Perez, a worker at the Marriott Yorkville.
The American parent union of Unite Here Local 75 placed the local into trusteeship earlier this month in a dispute over the right of the local to set its own course, including in bargaining. It also removed elected officers and seized the local's assets, said the union.
With today's votes, the workers will be members of the newly formed Unifor Local 7575, joining more than 19,000 hospitality and gaming workers in Unifor across Canada.
