MONTREAL — The picket line maintained by 600 locked-out workers at Quebec’s largest hotel, Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, remains spirited in face of the decision by the bosses to close this hotel here over the Christmas to New Year’s holiday period. They haven’t set a date to reopen, claiming management cannot maintain a five-star level of service.
The hotel locked out the workers, members of the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN), Nov. 20, a day after they voted by over 90% to reject the bosses’ latest contract offer. The 17 other CSN-organized hotels in Quebec have reached new contracts with the union, covering 4,000 workers.
“They want to break the union,” CSN spokesperson Pierre-Andre Champoux told Militant worker-correspondents on the picket line Dec. 17. “The negotiations are blocked on two issues — the workload for housekeepers and the use of outside, nonunion agency workers. The morale of the workers is high. Once a week we have a general assembly of the members to evaluate the situation.”
“They want to replace union workers with nonunion workers,” said Francois Houle, vice president of the union local and negotiating committee member. “Thirty percent of the workforce are already agency workers.” Houle brought containers of hot soup for the pickets prepared by locked-out hotel chefs.
Signs held by the workers and plastered on the hotel’s plate-glass windows complained about the use of scabs by the bosses, a violation of Quebec law.
A delegation of Canadian National rail workers, members of the Teamsters union, responded to the hotel workers’ need for solidarity by joining their picket line Dec. 19. “I think it’s a good opportunity to unite workers against the tyranny of the bosses,” said CN rail conductor Giulio Archambault.
Join the picket line — 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. all week. Send donations to CSN, 1601 Avenue De Lorimier, Montreal H2K 4M5.