Hilton Vancouver Metrotown workers have reached a tentative deal with hotel management, according to a press release from the workers' union.
UNITE HERE Local 40 members reached the agreement on Nov. 8, it said.
"This agreement includes wage and language improvements identical to the recent contract settlements at the downtown Vancouver hotels," the release stated, "as well as key improvements in the areas of housekeeping workload and banquet worker compensation."
More details will be released after the ratification vote.
The hotel workers returned to the negotiation table after the hotel management made a new contract offer. The union members had voted to strike last week, union spokesperson Amarjeet Kaur Chhabra said in an interview Monday.
The UNITE HERE Local 40 hotel workers have been without a contract since June 2010, and have been negotiating a new contract since this past June.
Hotel room attendants are suffering from injuries on the job, and have begun to wear buttons stating, "Housekeepers get injured here," according to a press release from the union.
The union wants a safe and sustainable workload for room attendants, fair compensation for banquet workers, and adequate wages for all the workers, the release stated.
Last Thursday, 143 members voted to strike, out of a total of 155 at the meeting, according to Hilton laundry supervisor Monina Aprong.
Aprong has worked at the Hilton since it opened, she said.
"We have a lot of issues," she said, listing wages, pensions, retroactive pay, benefits, and safety and wellness concerns.
"We're working so hard, the work is so physical," she said.
"We're fighting for respect, too," Aprong added, saying the workers want management to acknowledge their concerns.
"They need to address these issues, and make some improvements," she said.
The union wanted the same wages for Hilton Metrotown workers that it negotiated with the Greater Vancouver Hotel Employers Association for Vancouver hotels last year, she said.
The association ratified a four-year collective agreement with Vancouver hotel workers last December after their contract ran out in June 2010.
The agreement included wage increases of $1.84 per hour over the four-year contract.
"We want a fair contract," Aprong said. "We have the same needs as the downtown workers."
Ed Jaskula, general manager of Hilton Vancouver Metrotown said it was a difficult time for everyone.
The hotel was affected by the recession, but that employees are facing increasing costs, as well, he added.
"I hope there'll be a solution at the end that will be the best one for everyone," Jaskula said of the negotiations.
