Coordinated bargaining in the hotel industry: 11 agreements now concluded

Hotel workers demonstrate in front of one of the establishments on August 30, 2024 in Montreal. (The Canadian Press/Christinne Muschi). There are now 11 hotels in which an agreement has been reached to renew the collective agreement.

Agreements to renew union contracts have now been reached in 11 of the 30 hotels where the Fédération du commerce is holding coordinated negotiations.

Through this coordinated bargaining process, the CSN-affiliated federation sought to reach a settlement with one hotel and extend its provisions to the other establishments, even though they have different employers.

This round of negotiations, which covers hotels in the Montreal, Quebec City, Eastern Townships and Saguenay regions, began last April.

Three more hotels have recently joined the list of those that have already reached a tentative agreement or ratified it. They are the Comfort Inn in Dorval, the Comfort Inn in Pointe-Claire and the Hilton in Quebec City, the union said on Friday.

However, the union members at these three hotels have yet to vote on the tentative agreement, unlike those at the others, where it has already been ratified.

The agreement, which applies to all the hotels involved, includes total wage increases of 21 per cent over four years, with 10 per cent in the first year. It also provides for an increase in employers‘ contributions to group insurance plans and improvements to vacation time, adding a third week after two years of seniority and a seventh week after 30 years of service.

One hotel involved in the coordinated bargaining, the Pur Hotel in Quebec City, is affected by an indefinite general strike – the only hotel facing such a situation. There are no more lockouts at any of the hotels.