Food service workers at Victoria International Airport (YYJ), represented by UNITE HERE Local 40, have ratified a new contract with the airport's food service provider, Compass Group, by an overwhelming margin.
The new agreement will end the long, protracted labour dispute and addresses workers' concerns about low pay and unreasonably high workloads due to understaffing.
The workers, employed at YYJ's White Spot, Tim Hortons, Starbucks, and Spinnakers on the Fly, will receive significant raises of up to 24% over the life of the agreement and retroactive bonuses. Most non-tipped workers will soon reach $15/hour by June 1 - well ahead of the BC Government's scheduled minimum wage increases and ahead of most concession workers at competing airports, like Vancouver International Airport.
The new agreement also establishes the first ever pension for food workers at YYJ and includes critical workload protections that will tackle under-staffing.