Vancouver hotel workers sign ‘highest wages’ in Canada deal

After years of rallies and work stoppages, workers at three Downtown Vancouver hotels have signed a deal for their new wages.

The workers’ union says they will be receiving the “highest wages” for hotel workers in Canada.

“We’re really proud that we are at a point where workers are starting to earn the income they need to get by in this city,” said Michelle Travis, spokesperson for Unite Here! Local 40.

The union announced Thursday morning that workers at the Hyatt Regency, Westin Bayshore, and the Pinnacle — including housekeepers and room attendants — will make $32.50 per hour in 2025 and over $37 by 2027.

“I’ve been in this hotel for 50 years, and there’s never been a better time,” said Rey Balce, a guest services agent at the Hyatt Regency.

“The environment now for hotel workers has never been better.”

Speaking in Tagalog, Balce said, “If you’re interested in working in the hotel business, you’ll see that now you can make a living for your family. You’re not going to be starting out at McDonald’s and earning $17 an hour. Those days are done.”

Balce says the increases are on par with those in the healthcare and transportation industries.

“Our history was, 20 years ago, 30 years ago, hospitality industry workers, we were earning minimum wage. Not living wage.”

For years, hospitality workers have said they were struggling under heavy workloads, and they faced poor job security during the COVID-19 pandemic, when hotels laid off salaried employees.

Thousands of workers were out of work for months. The situation spurred class-action lawsuits against some B.C. hotels and numerous rallies by hotel workers around the province over the years.

Travis says this agreement will set the standard for hotel worker pay across Canada, and there are more negotiations at other big hotels in the works.

“Hotel workers saw how much the companies were making,” she said. “We’re bargaining with multinational companies — for example, the Hyatt and the Westin — and we know they can afford it. They’re doing better than ever.”

Among other improved workplace protections, the union says this new agreement has extended recall rights if there’s another pandemic, giving laid-off employees a longer period of time to return to their jobs.

“They’re very satisfied with what we’ve accomplished,” said Balce. “But it’s actually more of a relief because we’ve been waiting for two and half years already.”