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Workers at Hôtel Pur in Quebec City have been on strike for almost two months, fighting against management they accuse of intimidation. Even with wealthy owners who are linked to tax havens, management still refuses to accept the strikers' demands and seems intent on “breaking” them.
The workers have been negotiating with the hotel bosses since the end of their contract in July 2024, and are demanding a 21% pay rise over four years. This is the same demand made by the 29 other hotels unionized with the CSN, who are currently negotiating a new contract.
Seventeen of the 30 hotels have already obtained these increases, “including hotels that are similar in size, and even smaller than our hotel,” Benjamin Mercier, receptionist at the Hôtel Pur and member of the negotiating committee, explains to The North Star. But the hotel's bosses claim they are the only ones negotiating with them, without taking the other unions into account.
“Sometimes they justify it by the size of the hotel,” says the young receptionist. “But we're a Marriott hotel here, and there are other Marriotts that have signed up to 21%. The arguments they use are simply not valid. We're being denied the 21%, on the grounds that the hotel doesn't have the financial means for it.”
According to Hotelier Magazine, Marriott's Canadian hotel division will have achieved 4 billion in profit by 2023, 1 billion more than in 2022. The industry publication points out that industry experts are rejoicing in the post-COVID recovery.
So it seems that, although the bosses of Hotel Pur would have their workers believe that they are isolated and penniless, nothing could be further from the truth. They are part of a powerful oligarchy in the hospitality industry.
Wealthy, hostile bosses
Hotel Pur is a franchise of Marriott Hotels, disguised as an independent brand under the name “Tribute Portfolio.” Marriott-owned brands include Delta, Sheraton, Westin, Courtyard, Fairfield, Ritz-Carlton and many others. Marriott is one of the world's largest hotel monopolies, with over 30 brands and more than 7,000 hotels to its credit.
Among the four owners of the Hotel, Wuk Rai Cho and Hyun Kang Cho are experienced with tax havens: they were mentioned in the 2013 Offshore Leaks. Wuk Rai Cho's brother was also sentenced to three years in prison for tax evasion in South Korea. He avoided prison due to his advanced age, but was fined US$112 million.
“These guys live in Vancouver, so they know nothing about Quebec City,” says Mercier. “They own hotels in Vancouver that have already been on strike for eight months. That scares us. We don't know how long we'll have to stay out here.”
This ongoing strike clearly shows the owners' determination to crush their employees: “Since the beginning of the strike, the employer has lost about $1 million. But despite this, he prefers to lose money.”
The North Star's journalists tried to get an interview with a hotel representative. When they arrived, operations manager Alexandra Wiegert greeted them warmly.
However, as soon as they asked for an interview, her smile turned into a sneer. “No, we have no interest in that. They know everything we know,” she replied.
During the first months of the pandemic, she posted a message of unity in her field on Facebook: “To the millions of hospitality, travel, F&B and entertainment professionals out there: Keep the faith. This is painful, but things will get better. Stand together. We will be stronger because of it.”
The unity that management and owners put forward during the COVID crisis seems a long way off today.
Mercier has noticed. “The owner and our bosses inside, since the beginning of the strike, have been sending us messages that they're trying to break us.”
Laurie-Anne Leclerc, a waitress in the hotel's restaurant, adds: “They're doing everything they can to lower our morale as much as possible, for example, by saying that we're ruining the hotel's economy; that they're losing all their contracts because of us; that when we go back, there won't be any more jobs to give us.”
Benjamin Mercier adds: “At the start of the conflict, they called the police almost every day. Either for the sound, or for the chalk we were making on the wall.” He finishes, however, by saying: “I just want them to know very well that we're going to stay here as long as we don't get what we deserve. The longer he keeps us waiting, the bigger the bill is going to be for him. It's as simple as that.”
Issues that go beyond wages
The workers are also denouncing the illegal hiring of scabs, which the hotel is trying to hide from them. They are currently gathering evidence to take to court.
In addition, the chambermaids are demanding a $5 bonus per room, citing that their work is exhausting, especially when they have to clean rooms left in chaos after parties.
Finally, workers are asking for greater protection in health and safety matters. They want more decision-making power for their workers' committee, which they consider best placed to intervene in this area.