Hotel workers at Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York walked off the job Friday morning, as Hollywood celebrities continue to roll into the city for the Toronto International Film Festival.
The union representing about 900 hotel workers, Unite Here! Local 75, began demonstrating Friday morning, banging tam-tam drums and waving signs. The day of action is being supported by the actors’ union, ACTRA, and actor Martin Sheen even picketed with the demonstrators.
"Frankly, I'm more comfortable being on the picket line than I am being a guest in the hotel," Sheen told Global News. "I'm very proud of the union, I support the union."
The union planned to demonstrate for the day Friday, said union spokesperson Cristal Cruz-Haickes. “It is unfortunate that it’s during TIFF. But we feel honestly that the company has forced us to do this,” she said. “We worked really hard throughout G20, Caribana, Pride, all throughout the very busy tourist season. They knew TIFF was coming.”
The union said its contract expired on July 16 but bargaining didn’t begin until August 9. Bargaining stalled Thursday night, after 12 days, and the union called the strike. The day of action is being supported by the actors’ union, ACTRA, and celebrity actor Martin Sheen picketed with the demonstrators, according to Cruz-Haickes.
Although the union says the hotel has been at full capacity since the spring, Michelle Coates, spokesperson for the Fairmont Royal York, says that’s not the case. “No hotel in this city has been running at full occupancy,” she said.
The entire hotel is running, she said, staffed by 250 non-unionized employees. The hotel’s pool, restaurants and bars will all be operating today. “We started early this morning and some people worked through the night. We remain optimistic that a settlement will be reached through having more ongoing meetings,” she said. Ms. Coates wouldn’t disclose which celebrities were staying in the hotel for the Toronto International Film Festival, citing privacy concerns.
The union has called a press conference for Friday at 1:30 p.m. ET.
The union said on their Facebook page that it was the hotel’s first strike since 1961.
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