Workers rally at Edmonton hotel over B.C. layoffs, boycotting group of hotels

Author of the article:Lisa Johnson
Publishing date:Jul 13, 2021 • 

A rally outside the Varscona Hotel on Whyte Avenue in Edmonton on Tuesday July 13, 2021 in support of the unionized staff at Hilton Vancouver Metrotown Hotel in BC who have been locked out of their jobs for over 12 weeks. Both hotels are owned by DSDL Canada Investments. PHOTO BY LARRY WONG

Alberta unions are calling on the owner of three Edmonton hotels to commit to rehiring staff laid off in British Columbia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Supporters held a rally at the Varscona Hotel in Edmonton Tuesday morning, escalating the protests of almost 100 workers locked out in April from the Hilton Metrotown in B.C., where a boycott was first launched.

National hospitality workers’ union Unite Here Canada along with Alberta labour groups, including the Alberta Federation of Labour, Edmonton District Labour Council, Alberta Transit Union and several local unions, say they strongly support expanding the boycott of hotels owned by DSDL Canada Investments Ltd to include the Varscona, Mettera, and Matrix hotels in Edmonton beginning Aug. 8.

The unions said they want a guarantee workers can return to their jobs when business picks back up.

In a Tuesday news release, Unite Here accused the hotel owner of taking advantage of the pandemic to fire its workers and roll back decades of economic gains, disproportionately impacting women and immigrants.

Cecilia Rutter, an out-of-work Hilton Metrotown employee, said it was “shocking and outrageous” what DSDL has done to workers.

“I’m struggling to pay my bills and have only worked a few shifts since the pandemic hit. To be locked out this long, since April 16th this year, is an all-time low. That’s why we’re expanding the boycott to Alberta and fighting back for all DSDL workers who are being mistreated,” Rutter said in the release.

The protest and boycott threat come as Alberta’s hotel industry says it continues to struggle to recover from the impacts of COVID-19, and as the Edmonton Fringe Theatre prepares for this year’s festival beginning Aug. 12.

Last week, Alberta’s hotel associations said the industry will likely need more government support as federal wage and rent subsidies come to an end later this year.

The Varscona, Mettera, and Matrix hotels did not respond to requests for comment from Postmedia as of press time.