Labour reforms bring welcome relief to Alberta’s struggling foodservice sector

Restaurants Canada applauds Alberta’s new UCP-led government for wasting no time ushering in critically needed labour reforms, which will provide welcome relief for the province’s struggling foodservice sector.

Bill 2: An Act to Make Alberta Open for Business, which passed third reading in Alberta’s legislature, acts on many of the recommendations that Restaurants Canada made during the provincial election. This legislation, combined with the new Job Creation Student Wage that came into effect on June 26, will go a long way to help foodservice businesses regain solid footing following recent setbacks.

“Over the past few years, a lot of smart, responsible restaurant operators have been finding it incredibly hard to justify expansion plans or even keep their doors open at all in this province,” said Mark von Schellwitz, Restaurants Canada vice president, western Canada. “Our industry’s call for action was heard loud and clear. Alberta’s new government has taken swift and decisive steps to help employers continue contributing to vibrant communities and create more jobs, especially for youth.”

Thanks to Alberta’s new labour reforms:

• Restaurants now have the flexibility they need to provide more youth with critical first-time job experience. Unemployment for Albertans aged 15-17 years old in Q1 of 2019 was 21.5 per cent — almost triple the general rate. Thanks to the new Job Creation Student Wage that came into effect on June 26, Alberta’s employers are now permitted to pay a wage of $13 per hour for the first 28 hours worked by a student between 13 and 17 years of age while school is in session. For every hour over that, students must be paid the full $15 minimum hourly wage. During school breaks and summer holidays, the youth rate applies to all hours worked.

• Only employees who regularly work on a general holiday will be entitled to receive holiday pay, and they must work 30 days in the last 12 months to qualify for it. This change, which comes into effect on Sept. 1, better reflects the realities of restaurants, which typically operate outside the realm of the regular 9-5 work week and have had a hard time paying workers for a day when they wouldn’t regularly be working.

• Workers will have the option to develop straighttime banked overtime hour arrangements with their employer. Currently, employees can choose to be paid for overtime at time-and-a-half, or receive 1.5 banked time off. Instead, Bill 2 will allow employers and workers to make straight-time banked hour arrangements, where employees can still choose to bank overtime hours, but at a 1:1 ratio. . These changes will come into effect on Sept. 1.

• A mandatory secret ballot will be restored for all union certification votes, as well as a 90-day period for unions to provide evidence of employee support for certification. These changes will improve balance and enhance freedoms for workers.

Restaurants Canada looks forward to working with Alberta’s new government toward fulfilling even more commitments made during the provincial election that will continue to improve realities for restaurants.