There is a tentative end in sight in the dispute between Coast Hotels and the union representing hotel employees,
UNITE HERE Local 40 research analyst Octavian Cadabeschi tells PrinceGeorgeMatters a tentative deal was reached between the union and company at 3 a.m. this morning (Dec. 14).
The news comes after Coast Hotels issued a 72-hour lockout notice on Dec. 11 after UNITE HERE Local 40 went on strike for one day at the Coast Bastion in Nanaimo last week. The lockout notice, impacting 250 workers, was sent to Coast hotels in Nanaimo, Victoria and Prince George.
Cadabeschi says the tentative agreement will need to be ratified by members. A ratification vote is expected to take place early next week, he adds.
If the deal is ratified, he says more details of the agreement will be released at that time.
UPDATE: Tentative agreement reached with @coasthotels this morning! Details to follow. There will be NO LOCKOUT! Thank you to our allies and the #Nanaimo, #Victoria & #PrinceGeorge communities for your support of Coast workers! #bclab #bcpoli #canlab #canpoli #union #bc
— Unite Here Local 40 (@UniteHere40) December 14, 2018
Prince George employees and other supporting unions held a rally on Dec. 12 at Coast Inn of the North in protest against the company and their actions.
Coast Hotels issued the following statement to PrinceGeorgeMattres this afternoon by email:
“We are delighted to have reached a tentative agreement with our union partners at UNITE HERE Local 40,” the statement says. “Both sides shared the same goal of reaching a fair and equitable agreement that was good for our ambassadors and sustainable for our hotels. We would like to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of everyone involved in these contract negotiations, particularly those Coast ambassadors on the bargaining committee who helped us reach this important settlement. We’re looking forward to continuing to work with all our ambassadors to provide an outstanding guest experience at our hotels during the holiday season."
The previous collective agreement had expired in May of this year. Coast Hotels says the new deal is for three years and covers roughly 300 unionized employees between the three hotels.
The two parties are currently working on a memorandum of settlement which will outline the new collective agreement. Both sides also agreed not to release any details of the new contract until the memorandum is finalized.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 3:55 p.m. on Dec. 15 to include a statement from Coast Hotels.
