CUPE 1281 in solidarity with UNITE HERE Local 261!
We are calling on the Sheraton Ottawa Hotel to stop the termination of workers and guarantee that workers can return to their jobs. The pandemic has caused financial hardship to many workers and it is heartless for the Sheraton Ottawa Hotel to be terminating workers who have provided so much labour and profits for the hotel.
We encourage other labour unions to send the Sheraton Ottawa Hotel a letter demanding workers at UNITE HERE Local 261 can return to their jobs. Below please see our letter to the Sheraton Ottawa Hotel.
March 19, 2021
Ms. Yolaine Charette
General Manager
Sheraton Ottawa Hotel
150 Albert Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 5G2
Dear Ms. Charette:
We are Local 1281 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees and we are writing to you in solidarity with the UNITE HERE Local 261 unionized workers at the Sheraton Ottawa Hotel. We ask that you act immediately to stop the termination of workers and guarantee that they can return to their jobs once business returns by extending recall rights.
It has come to our attention that, as of today, the Sheraton Ottawa Hotel and its’ ownership group, Keck Seng Investments, have chosen not to extend the recall rights of workers, but to begin terminations as early as this week. This will only cause long-standing workers who are already suffering financial losses, to lose even more. We do not condone the disposal of workers who have brought decades of economic gain to this hotel.
We urge you to reconsider your decision and extend the recall period for your workers, as the majority of unionized employers in Ottawa have already done. If steps are not taken to ensure jobs are protected by extending recall, we will not support your hotel when conditions improve and restrictions on travel activity ease.
We will look to send our business to other venues who treat their employees with a higher degree of respect and compassion, especially in the middle of a public health crisis.
Sincerely,
Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 1281
You can view a PDF copy of the letter here.