Niagara Hotel Workers Rising!

Demand Justice!
Niagara’s Hotel Workers Deserve Better

David Mcintosh, a UNITE HERE activist at CNH, was suspended for
three days, in part, for speaking at a union rally on his day off.


Saturday, June 16
Niagara Falls
Rally and march at 2:00 PM
Meet at the corner of Dixon St and Cleveland Ave
Social to follow at 4:00 PM At Legion #479 Spring St at Gladstone Ave

Hosted by UNITE HERE Local 210C

Buses to Depart after social (approx 5:30 pm)

Let us know you’re coming! Reserve your bus seat today!

Check out www.niagarahotelworkers.ca or email eclarke@unitehere.ca

Talk to your UNITE HERE rep or call Ethan Clarke at 905-354-2027 ext. 312
for more information.

Bus Pick-up Locations and Departure Times:

Toronto

12:00 – Yorkdale Mall (Sears entrance, across from Dufferin)

Hamilton

1:00 – Coppley’s (56 York Blvd)

Midland & Brampton/Mississauga

11:20 – Midland: Huronia Mall (Highway 93)

12:30 – B/M: The Temple (Dixie and Derry rd E)

Guelph

12:20 -- Stone Rd Mall

12:30 -- Hwy 6 South Carpool (at 401)
Download posters to post in your workplace or show to
friends and family.



Justice For Niagara’s Hotel Workers
Because our Community Deserves Better

Behind the natural beauty of the Falls, Niagara’s Hotel Workers are struggling to support their families. Join us as we demand Canadian Niagara Hotels treat us fairly at work. We are fighting the intimidation of our union activists. We want fair and safe workloads and the payment of salary increases. We want better working conditions and standards for all of Niagara Falls’ tourism workers because we know our community does better when we do better.

Background

MICHELLE HEMMINGSON, a UNITE HERE Activist at Canadian Niagara Hotels, is one of a number of union activists who have been discharged by CNH.

Canadian Niagara Hotels (CNH) owns the Sheraton on the Falls, the Brock Plaza Hotel and the Skyline Inn in the Clifton Hill neighborhood of Niagara Falls, Ontario.

The hotels have been unionized for over 60 years and were purchased in 1993 by Dino DiCienzo and his company Canadian Niagara Hotels.

Since then union/management relationships have been difficult. UNITE HERE has been fighting to uphold basic parts of the collective agreement.


What are some of the current issues?

CNH has not paid the 3% salary increase for January 2007 called for in the collective agreement to staff working in the banquet services department.

CNH is using a private prosecution to charge UNITE HERE Canadian Co-Director Alex Dagg, well-known actor Danny Glover and Ontario Federation of Labour President Wayne Samuelson for entering one of their hotels during a union rally and asking for a meeting with management.

CNH has not paid the $100 bonus to each staff as called for in the collective agreement

CNH continues to pressure workers into giving away their right to 8-hour shifts through the use of split shifts. This can lead to a reduction in pay of up to $480 per month.


The numbers speak for themselves

Number of members in the bargaining committee in 2005: 5

Number of bargaining committee members still working in union positions at the hotel today: 1

Fraction of Joint Health and Safety union activists fired in the last two years: 2/3

Number of health and safety activists in the last four years who still work at CNH: 0

Percentage of tourism industry employees that are unionized in Niagara Falls: 6%


What we need to make our jobs better and support our families

Canadian Niagara Hotels must abide by all parts of the contract and drop its private prosecution of our union’s leaders, allies and staff.

Expectations for service sector jobs in Niagara Falls must rise to meet the standard in other world class tourist destinations.

Niagara Falls City Council has taken an interest in labour relations at the casino. They should take a look at the labour relations in the hotels that surround the casino.