Harrison Hot Springs CAO Tyson Koch has asked the public to stop sending the village emails concerning the ongoing labour dispute between UNITE HERE Local 40 and the Harrison Hot Springs Resort after more than 100 residents and visitors participated in a letter campaign sponsored by the union.
According to an Oct. 3 news release from the union, more than 600 letters went out not only to the village government but to the Harrison Tourism Society, the District of Kent and the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD). The campaign's goal was 800 letters.
According to the letter campaign's web page, the union alleges short staffing and lack of daily room cleaning have affected the reputation of the hotel and consequently the village's economy.
"We urge Aldesta Hotel Group to reach a fair agreement with the workers, which will not only improve their lives but also restore the resort’s reputation, attract more visitors, and boost local businesses," the union stated. "We call on local government officials appointed to the Harrison Tourism Society to represent the concerns of their constituents, and pressure the company to bargain in good faith with its employees."
The Aldesta Hotel Group, based in Vancouver, owns the Harrison Hot Springs Resort.
The Oct. 3 release said Coun. Allan Jackson alone had received over 40 emails on the issue in one week, which Koch called "excessive." Koch told the union that the village council and staff intend to remain neutral during the ongoing negotiations.
Both Koch and the FVRD declined further comment. The Observer has also reached out to the District of Kent, Tourism Harrison River Valley and the Aldesta Hotel Group for further comment.
Willy Pederson, a worker at the resort and resident of Harrison, said the village's request to stop communication is "concerning."
"Harrison Hot Springs Resort plays a vital role in the local economy," Pederson said in the union's release. "The working conditions of resort workers (are) directly linked to the experience of visitors and, by extension, local businesses that depend on tourism. How is the Harrison Tourism Society supposed to achieve its mission of representing the community if they are not accepting correspondence from us?"
Back in July, UNITE HERE Local 40 held a weekend-long strike after negotiations broke down with "little progress." The union said the July strike prompted several locals and tourists alike participate in the recent letter-writing campaign.
Resort workers with the union held a "wake-up rally" in June 2021 in the early morning during a previous labour dispute between UNITE HERE Local 40 and Hospitality Industrial Relations. Two months prior to the wake-up rally, the B.C. Labour Relations Board delivered a lockout notice to the union that would have put 1,2000 employees across more than a dozen communities out of work.
UNITE HERE represents 300,000 workers across the country working in a number of industries, including hotels, casinos, food service and manufacturing.