Unitehere Local 261
2-200 Cooper St. K2P 0G1 Ottawa, ON, Canada

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https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/union-claims-sheraton-ottawa-hote

https://ottawa.citynews.ca//no-letter-phone-call-or-email-

Sheraton Ottawa Begins Termination of All Laid-off Workers Despite Signs of Industry Recovery Ottawa, ON On the anniversary of COVID-19 shutdowns, the Sheraton Ottawa Hotel informed UNITE HERE Local 261 that it will begin terminating all laid-off workers starting this week. Workers, represented by Local 261, have been laid off since last year due to the pandemic and have sought a recall agreement with the hotel since October 2020. Such an agreement would ensure they return... to their jobs when travel and tourism conditions improve and business recovers at the hotel. Despite the pending vaccine rollout and signs the industry will begin recovery this year, the hotel unexpectedly refused to extend recall rights. Workers have called on the hotel to stop terminations immediately, but the hotel’s owner group and operator continue to move forward with plans to eliminate up to 70 workers, many who have served for decades. The Ottawa Sheraton is the only hospitality employer represented by Local 261 that has chosen to fire workers. The Ottawa Sheraton is owned by Hong Kong based Keck Seng Investments which invests in and owns hospitality properties in Asia and North America. It is managed by Marriott International, the largest hotel corporation in the world. During 2020, Marriott generated a positive net cash flow of US$641 million and added 293 properties and 42,360 rooms to its portfolio. Shares of Marriott International stock closed at US$154.29 Thursday, the highest price ever. There is no cost to the Sheraton Ottawa hotel to follow suit with a majority of other unionized hotels across Ottawa who have agreed to extend recall rights for workers past 52 weeks. MPP Joel Harden of Ottawa Centre called the hotel’s actions outrageous in a letter urging them to end the wave of terminations. He added that people will remember which companies did right by their workers during a global pandemic, and which ones acted with callous disregard for their wellbeing. I was crushed with the news that the Sheraton Ottawa chose to fire us. Being a chef at the Sheraton has always been such an important part of who I am. Never in my 15 years of being at the hotel did I think they would treat us this way. When the lockdowns began, I never worried that I wouldn't have a job to come back to because the company continuously said we would get through this ‘as a family’. Now, with less than a week’s notice, we’ve been fired. This is not how you treat ‘family’. My colleagues and I are left with a sense of loss for what we’ve built, not only for ourselves but also for the Sheraton said Julie Borris, laid-off commis chef of 15 years with the Sheraton Ottawa. Contact: Melissa Sobers, 416-200-0207, [email protected] UNITE HERE Local 261 is the hospitality workers union and represents members in hotels, cafeterias and restaurants, casino food service and airport food service industries throughout Ottawa. Learn more at https://www.local261.org/