Workers at the Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Prince George hotel voted 87 per cent in favour of strike action on Thursday night, according to information released by UNITE HERE Local 40.
The union local represents 35 workers at the hotel, including housekeepers, banquet staff, front desk agents and the hotel’s Starbucks food service workers. Picket lines could go up, once the union local issues 72-hour strike notice.
“I've worked at the Ramada for over a decade and I'm still struggling to pay my bills. Me and my co-workers deserve a living wage,” Vanessa Farley said in a statement issued by the union. Farley has been a housekeeper at Ramada Prince George for 11 years.
According to the statement issued by UNITE HERE, wages at the hotel range from $17 to $18 per hour, lower than the $21.19 per hour living wage for a family in Prince George. Workers at the hotel have been without a contract for more than 10 months, the statement added.
"I always put 100 (per cent) into my work, and right now I feel as though I'm not being fairly compensated for it at the Ramada,” Maria Drabinasty said in a statement issued by UNITE HERE. Drabinasty has been a cleaner at the hotel for 13 years. “We've tried compromising with the owners but at this point the amount that we're asking for is the amount that we need to survive.”
A spokesperson for Wyndham Hotels and Resorts could not be reached on Friday afternoon for comment.
