Response on hotel worker lockout: Super 8 management wants more flexibility
“Super 8 was seeking some changes that would give the hotel more flexibility to manage its operations”: Super 8 Moose Jaw management respond to a request for comment.
(Union representative Gary Whalen’s perspective was published on Saturday – read that article at Super 8 workers locked out; union claims toxic management poisoning negotiations - MooseJawToday. com.
Peter Hong, Moose Jaw Super 8 operating director, provided a statement by email on the worker lockout which was implemented on March 3 after a failure in negotiations.
Hong said that the hotel industry has struggled more than other business sectors over the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. He characterized the conflict between workers and management at the hotel as coming from a need for greater flexibility that could help management recover from pandemic hardship.
“The past two years of dealing with a global pandemic have been hard on the economy as a whole, but certain industries have been hit much harder than others. The hospitality industry has been especially hard-hit, with hotels and accommodation taking the hardest hit.”
Hong said that projections by Tourism
By Gordon Edgar - Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com
Saskatchewan predict continued suffering for the hotel industry and that a full recovery before 2024 is unlikely.
He said that one of the contributions to the hardship being felt by the industry is the widespread shift to online meetings, leading to less revenue from conference room rentals.
Hong said that “a number of hotels have been required to close their doors” as a consequence of economic pressures arising from the pandemic. He added that record-low occupancy rates in the industry have also affected Moose Jaw.
“The Super 8 in Moose Jaw is no exception to the hardships arising from the pandemic. Occupancy has been, and remains, low, and the recovery is on a long timeline.”
The Unite Here! Local 41 union, which represents workers at Super 8 Moose Jaw, claimed that negotiations with management are not being conducted in good faith.
The union said that management started collective bargaining by demanding nearly 60 deletions and/or changes to the employment agreement. Many of the changes are unanimously unacceptable to workers, including a five-year contract with no pay increases, scheduling to be entirely at the discretion of management, employee workload to be entirely at the discretion of management, and for management to have a say in the appointment of local union spokespersons.
Local 41 president Gary Whalen said that such proposals show that management has no intention of bargaining in good faith.
Hong said that “In the bargaining sessions between Unite Here Local 41 and the Super 8, the Super 8 was seeking some changes that would give the hotel more flexibility to manage its operations, with management and union workers working side by side, as a team, rather than creating an adversarial workplace mentality.”
Whalen claimed that a new manager, hired in May 2021, has been treating workers “like animals” and creating a toxic work atmosphere. He said that the manager, whose name has not been confirmed, has an outdated attitude toward employees, and compared her to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
“She’s got the same kind of attitude that Putin has… that’s he’s the powerful person and he can do what he wants.”
Hong accused Unite Here! Local 41 of being the cause of failed negotiations, because they were unwilling to consider management’s proposals.
Hong said that Super 8 was not looking for wage reductions – only for workplace flexibility that would “ensure that the Super 8 can come out of the pandemic, deal with the challenging recovery, and respond to global changes in the way we meet and interact.”