Workers at three Montreal hotels staged surprise strikes Saturday

A CSN flag is shown during a strike outside the Hotel Doubletree by Hilton in Montreal, Thursday, August 1, 2024. (Graham Hughes, The Canadian Press)

Workers at Montreal's Queen Elizabeth hotel protested for a third straight day on Saturday in the middle of the busy summer tourist season, and they were joined by picketers from two other city hotels to speak out against an impasse in their contract talks.

The confederation of unions that represents the workers and is known as CSN says 1,000 members were on the picket line on Saturday, with 600 from the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, 350 from Marriott Chateau Champlain and roughly 100 from the Hyatt Place Montreal.

Michel Valiquette, who heads the hotel sector branch of the CSN, is accusing hotel owners of stalling on negotiations and said the union is trying to bring owners back to the table.

Workers at 30 hotels in Quebec's Montreal, Capitale-Nationale, Estrie and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean regions are demanding a 36 per cent pay increase over four years and an end to the use of private employment agencies.

On Thursday, workers from 23 different hotels in the Montreal region, Quebec City and Sherbrooke walked off the job for 24 hours.

In an email to the Canadian Press, the Greater Montreal Hotel Association said owners are working to hammer out a deal with workers and accused striking employees of holding visiting tourists hostage

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Aug. 10, 2024.