​​​​​​​Vancouver Airport Hotel workers make major gains against Billionaire owners

After over a year on strike, workers at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel have finally signed a new contract. The tough battle with the billionaire Lalji family, who owns the hotel, was over fair wages, tip transparency, and benefits for long-time employees. Over 85% of members voted in favour of ratifying the new contract.

The new contract secures a wage increase of 30.5% for all Sheraton workers, including increases active from the moment of ratification. These wage increases will also keep up with the rising cost of living, and most room attendants will be earning $30 per hour by the end of 2026, according to a press release from UNITE HERE Local 40, the union representing the workers. The agreement will also provide returning workers with bonuses and a gratuity increase, transparency, and tip protections for banquet workers.

Sam*, a worker from the banquet department who was interviewed by North Star, described the conditions in their department that caused the strike in the first place, with a lack of tip transparency being high on the list of reasons.

“We didn't know how the tips were split. We didn't know if we were getting our tips fairly pooled and distributed evenly. When compared to the hotels downtown, they do have this.”

Sam pointed out that the new deal sets a precedent regarding tips in the Metro Vancouver hotel industry, “it's a 65-35 split. So, I'll say, 65% goes to the workers and 35% goes to the company, which is huge. And, like, none of the hotels downtown have that.”

The new contract, which expires in 2027, also includes new sick days, and benefits rarely found in the hospitality sector, like health benefits.

According to Sam, the strike was mainly caused by the way the Marriott subsidiary treated long-time workers: "[They were] severely underpaid and the workload was too much.”

Whenever the union tried to get the company to negotiate, it would simply ask them to accept their last proposal: "They told us to either take it or stay outside forever, and that's what they said from around July to December.”

The Lalji family and their managers tried various strategies to break up the workers: “They always send these nasty e-mails to everyone to try to cause confusion and divide the picket line, and then the company would offer people a 4% raise immediately if they came back in to work. So, obviously, some people fell for that, unfortunately, and so we got a whole bunch of scabs for sure.”

Throughout the strike, workers at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport received support from other labour organizations, including a boycott of the hotel, and two adjacent facilities also owned by the Lalji family, called by the BC Federation of Labour.

Other unions donated money to support the striking workers and joined them for their regular Friday evening rallies. The picket line received some support from outside the unions, including from members of the East Van Workers Assembly (EVWA), who visited the picket in solidarity with the workers.

In addition, they successfully pressured major airlines, including WestJet, not to use the facilities to house stranded crew and passengers. In December, UNITE HERE called for a boycott of Air Canada for not doing the same. 

Miguel, an organizer for EVWA told North Star: “We would show up, try to bring the mood up, bring some snacks and stuff to boost their energy, boost their vibes up,” which Sam confirmed. “I appreciate that these guys are showing up, showing support. That means a lot and you can never thank them enough for that."

Miguel recalls a day when the picketers “were trying to block the parking lot, and simultaneously they asked us to block one of the entrances, so they trusted us to take part in that fight.”

Emily, another organizer for EVWA elaborated on that event, saying, “A Fiji airline was supposed to be flying in and have airline workers stay at the hotel.” The workers, supported by the EVWA, succeeded in dissuading the airline's employees from crossing the picket line.

Throughout their strike, the Sheraton workers faced challenges from their employers, including threats and intimidation, but also the formation of a scab union. The scab union was created as a means to split picketing union members, Miguel further explained:

“Management organized a scab union, so they were able to legally struggle with UNITE HERE on a different level. Not just in the bargaining dispute, they were trying to make that union the legitimate union of the hotel. And, of course, it's a union organized by the employer.”

Outside of tactical maneuvers, the hotel also applied pressure on the workers by making security an intimidating presence on-site—“they are the ones putting the pressure, like the physical pressure on the picketing workers, so they have their security guards around all the entrances, making sure there is a physical presence.”

Miguel described an incident where “[the head of security] showed up, started yelling at workers. He knows the organizers by name, so he keeps threatening the organizers and just trying to instill fear into workers."

Thanks to solidarity and determination, the Sheraton Vancouver Airport hotel workers have won, but the same conditions faced by workers there before the strike are the status quo at many hotels throughout the region. The Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport Hotel & Marina workers are on their second year of picketing, while workers at the Residence Inn are a couple of weeks into their strike.

With workers at another Downtown Vancouver hotel in strike position, and others working without a contract since 2022, and with the profound disconnect between the cost of living in Metro Vancouver and the current wages for hotel workers, other hotel workers could soon join the fight.

*A pseudonym was used as the worker asked us not to reveal their name.