TORONTO, May 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ontario Federation of Labour, which represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario has issued an official boycott declaration of Canadian Niagara Hotels Inc. (CNH), effective immediately.
The boycott is in support of the workers at the Rainforest Café, who have been seeking a first collective agreement with their employer for over a year.
“During this boycott, no labour organization will engage in any new business with or buy products or services from Canadian Niagara Hotels or its subsidiaries, until the company sits down to bargain a fair collective agreement with its workers,” said Ontario Federation of Labour President Chris Buckley. “The strength of our movement comes from our solidarity. Together we are sending the message that this employer must end its continued mistreatment of workers, anti-union behavior, and refusal to bargain in good faith with their unionized employees.”
The workers at the Rainforest Café, represented by Workers United Canada Council Local 2347 have been on strike since April 7, 2019. Canadian Niagara Hotels has made headlines for expelling a family of tourists from one of its hotels after they supported the strike. They have also issued a lifetime ban from all their properties to the mother of a striking restaurant member.
One of the key issues for the workers on strike at the Rainforest Café, operated by (CNH Inc.), is the failure of the employer to properly address allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace.
"This boycott announced today is the direct result of Canadian Niagara Hotel’s lack of respect for the law. In 1987, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the employer must provide a workplace free of sexual harassment,” said Ontario Federation of Labour Secretary-Treasurer Patty Coates. “It is time for the Rainforest Cafe to meet its obligations by stopping sexual harassment in its workplace, and bargaining a fair collective agreement with its workers, as the law requires."
The official OFL boycott includes the following hotels in Niagara Falls, which are owned or operated by Canadian Niagara Hotels (CNH):
- Crowne Plaza Hotel
- Skyline Hotel & Perkins
- Sheraton on the Falls Hotel
- Clifton Victoria Inn
- Marriott Fallsview
Canadian Niagara Hotels also operates several associated restaurants, retail stores, and commercial enterprises in the vicinity of their hotels, including:
- Rainforest Café
- Hard Rock Café
“Ontario unions and their members routinely frequent CNH facilities for conferences, conventions, meetings and to attend functions. A boycott is called only in very serious circumstances and must not be taken lightly by CNH. It is sure to damage the reputations of these hotels within the labour community and result in a substantial financial penalty in lost revenue to Canadian Niagara Hotels. To get its business back on track, CNH must bargain a collective agreement with its employees,” said Chris Buckley.
“We encourage our affiliates, their members, families and friends to join this boycott, contact Canadian Niagara Hotels to voice their concerns, and to continue to work in solidarity and support with the workers on strike at the Rainforest Café,” said Buckley. “Workers are the backbone of any business, and by coming together in solidarity, we will win better working conditions for all.”
To find out more information about the boycott visit cnhboycott.ca.
To contact Canadian Niagara Hotels visit: cnhboycott.ca/take-action/
The Ontario Federation of Labour represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.ofl.ca and follow @OFLabour on Facebook and Twitter.
For more information, please contact:
Meagan Perry, Director of Communications
Ontario Federation of Labour
mperry@ofl.ca l 416-894-3456