Fort McMurray, Abta. – February 14, 2013 – UFCW Canada Local 401 recently welcomed a new group of hospitality and food services workers to the union after they voted “Yes!” to joining Alberta’s leading voice for workers. The new members work for Aramark at the company’s Nexen Long Lake facility, a remote site services operation that caters to the lodging needs of the province’s oil sands industry.

The new Aramark Nexen members voted to join Local 401 amid growing disappointment with the level of representation provided by their previous union, the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC).

Nexen is the second group of workers in the last six months to do this, following a similar vote made by workers at Aramark Kinosis. Local 401 sees this as an encouraging trend among Alberta workers.

“We’re seeing more and more of this,” says Chris O’Halloran, Director of Organizing for Local 401. “Remote hospitality is hard, demanding work. These workers understand that they deserve to have representation from a strong union that puts their interests first.”

Local 401 expects to have a union representative meet with Nexen employees in the coming days to discuss workplace issues. Key issues among the workers include travel allowances, industry-standard wages and benefits, workloads, and protections against discrimination. As a union that currently represents several camps in Fort McMurray, Local 401 has experience negotiating contracts that address these issues effectively.

For more information on Local 401 and their groundbreaking efforts, visit www.gounion.ca.