Hotel strike: Agreement in principle ratified at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth

Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth Hotel employees on strike July 28, 2024. (Source: CSN)

Union members at the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel in downtown Montreal ratified the agreement in principle to renew their collective agreement with 91 per cent in favour.

The 600 or so workers were locked out on Nov. 20. They are members of the CSN-affiliated Fédération du Commerce union.

The union, along with some 30 others linked to the central labour body, was taking part in coordinated negotiations in the hotel industry.

Through this type of negotiation, the Fédération du commerce was seeking an initial settlement and then to extend its provisions to other hotels where it has members, even if these are different employers.

In a news release issued on Monday, the federation said the coordinated bargaining framework had also been followed in the case of the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel. Several other hoteliers have since settled with their respective unions.

Management was prepared to accept the conditions agreed by the other hoteliers, the use of staffing agencies irritated the union and prevented a settlement as in other hotels.

In its news release, the union said that “gains on restricting the use of employment agencies” have been made.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French May 12, 2025.

Lia Levesque, The Canadian Press