Workers at the Arbutus Club in Vancouver are on strike and have begun job action for “fair wages.”
According to a release from Unifor Local 3000, the Arbutus Club’s membership includes the likes of “high-profile elites” such as Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini.
Unifor says that over 200 workers are involved in the job action.
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“Unifor Local 3000 represents more than 200 union members at the club, working as food servers, lifeguards, maintenance staff, laundry attendants and more,” Unifor said in a press release.
According to Unifor, the club charges “tens of thousands of dollars” in initiation fees for members.
“The affordability crisis is front and centre with this labour dispute,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
Payne adds that, considering the club’s clientele, paying employees more should not be out of the question.
“The Arbutus Club caters to the city’s wealthiest clientele. Surely it can afford to pay the employees a decent, livable wage.”
Unifor says negotiations broke off late last week, and Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Regional director, says this strike could end ASAP.
“We encourage the members at the Arbutus Club to contact the board and the CEO to demand fair wages for the people who provide them with top-quality service,” he said.
Adding, “This dispute can end tomorrow with a fair offer from the employer.”
The Arbutus Club made scandalous headlines last year, but it denied the rumours about group sex. We also wrote a story last year about some job openings at the Arbutus Club. At that time, the highest-paying roles had employees earning up to $100,000 annually.
Unifor says wages “have fallen far behind inflation and the rapidly rising cost of living in Metro Vancouver.”
The workers Unifor represents include “food servers, lifeguards, maintenance staff, laundry attendants, and more.”
In response to our request for comment, the Arbutus Club told Daily Hive that it has a great deal of respect for its employees.
“The Club’s priority in the bargaining process has been to reach a fair outcome that reflects the central importance of our people, and enables the Club to be managed safely and effectively, and in a way that optimizes opportunity for employees and delivers for our membership.”
Additionally, the club said that it has “presented the Unifor bargaining committee with a proposal that is mutually beneficial to the partnership we have with Unifor.”