Members of the Vancouver Island University Students Union walked the picket line on Thursday with employees locked out by the Nanaimo Golf Club.
The semi-private club locked out 20 food and beverage workers back on April 24th, almost six months ago. The workers are members of Unite Here Local 40, BC’s union for hospitality workers. The club imposed the lockout two days after the union served strike notice in the midst of contract negotiations.
VIUSU Organizer Patrick Barbosa says they were walking the picket line in solidarity with the workers.
Unite Here Local 40 Secretary-Treasurer Shelly Ervin says the support from VIUSU means a lot.
Ervin says they’ve asked the club to lift the lockout while negotiations continue. They’ve also asked the club to agree to binding arbitration to settle the dispute, but General Manager Ash Chadha says they’ve been able to resolve similar disputes in the past without it. However, he says there’s been little progress at the bargaining table.
Chadha says their bottom line will take a big hit if the dispute isn’t settled soon, especially with the Christmas season approaching.
The main issue in the contract dispute is wages. The other issues include benefits and whether the job of head chef should continue to be a union position.
