Members at Best Western Seven Oaks standing strong on picket line
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Regina, Sask. – January 28, 2016 – UFCW Canada Local 1400 members on strike at the Best Western Seven Oaks Inn are holding strong on the picket line after a month-long struggle to obtain fairness in their workplace.
The Best Western members were forced on strike on December 28, after the company denied the workers back pay and refused to pay them a fair wage. The highly profitable hotel chain also wants to double the amount that Best Western Seven Oaks employees pay for their health and dental benefits, which many workers cannot afford.
Rather than bargaining in good faith to resolve these issues, the hotel has resorted to bringing in replacement workers and has hired a private security company in hopes of intimidating the Best Western members.
Meanwhile, hundreds of messages of solidarity continue to pour in calling for the employer to return to the bargaining table, and the striking UFCW members have received strong support from local residents, various NDP candidates, the Regina & District Labour Council, and a number of other unions.
The strike has also garnered local and national media coverage from CBC News, The Regina Leader-Post, Rabble, and RankAndFile.ca, among other media outlets.
"The members at Best Western Seven Oaks are simply asking for a living wage, decent benefits, and back pay," says Norm Neault, president of UFCW Canada Local 1400. "But the company is seeking major concessions on benefits and they refuse to negotiate with us in a fair manner."
"We are very thankful for the support that we are receiving from people across Western Canada and throughout the country, who are adding their voices to this important fight for fairness and telling the employer to return to the bargaining table," Brother Neault adds.
You can help bring justice to the workers at the Best Western Seven Oaks Inn by sending a message to the company demanding that they negotiate a fair contract. Click here to send your message.