Local 40’s new Executive Board and Trustees, front row, from left, are Louie Guevarra, E-Board; Randal Cooper, E-Board; Shelly Ervin, Secretary-Treasurer, Jim Pearson, President/Administrator, Lorrie Dyer, Vice President, Margaret Prieston, E-Board. Back row from left are Steve Grant, Trustee; Vicki Bolan, E-Board; Jimmy Khan, E-Board; Tracy Jewer, E-Board; Richard Dietl, E-Board; Donna Bullough, E-Board; Tom Corless, E-Board; Emma Jimenez, Trustee; Jamie Tremblay, E-Board; Judy Clements, Trustee, Rolando Gonzales, E-Board; Priscilla Pacheco, E-Board. UNITE HERE is a leader in adapting to change as we continue to grow as a strong and powerful labour union. We continue to grow and strengthen our organization through establishing strong workplace committees that provide the foundation for negotiating better contracts and working conditions for our members. Through streamlining and improving our administrative operations, we are also vulnerable to increased attacks from the anti-union business, corporate and political arenas. Local 40 is strengthening our commitment to change and adaptation and we are forging ahead with customized changes in the administration of our union to meet our goals of providing the best service to our members. It is our objective to meet and exceed the high standards of compliance expected of our union in today’s evolving anti-union climate so we may continue to do our best to serve the membership. Preparations and planning are already underway for major contract negotiations coming up in 2008. Aramark workers at GM Place will be bargaining for a new agreement at the end of this year and there are also a number of smaller agreements on the calendar. This year we are also continuing with major strategic planning in conjunction with our International Union, UNITE HERE, as we participate in the Hotel Workers and Food Service Workers RISING! programs. The momentum generated from last year’s major bargaining gains have brought our membership additional success as this year got underway. January saw new collective agreements signed at two more major hotels in the lower mainland that brings these hard workers in line with the downtown Vancouver “standard” agreement – four percent wage increases in each of three years with significant pension and benefit improvements, as well as decreased workloads for hotel housekeepers. Congratulations to the hotel workers at the Delta Vancouver Airport Hotel (DVA) in Richmond who really stuck together through months of difficult contract negotiations that began last fall. It was very rewarding to lead these negotiations and be part of the struggle to achieve the Vancouver “standard” hotel contract, as these workers were joined in their fight by their union brothers & sisters from the downtown Vancouver and Richmond hotels as well as faith-based and community groups, receptive politicians and our friends in the labour movement. In January they were rewarded with a new collective agreement, ratified by 99% of the workers, and their success continued the momentum the union has generated through the Hotel Workers RISING! program. Shortly after the workers at the DVA reached their tentative agreement, their brothers & sisters at the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown Hotel in Burnaby, who had been fighting for months to get a new contract at this popular hotel, also reached an agreement – an historic agreement that saw some members working at this hotel gain as much as 21% wage increases as they too fought very hard to get wage parity with the Vancouver hotel workers in similar classifications. Both of these three year agreements have brought more power to 2010 negotiations for hotel workers belonging to UNITE HERE Local 40. Unfortunately, the situation isn’t as good for our members working at the Holiday Inn on Broadway in Vancouver who have been in a bitter battle with this employer since bargaining commenced last fall. Local 40 is still involved in hearings at the Labour Relations Board as we continue to fight to ensure the hard working members of our union at this hotel property are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. They too are justified in getting the Vancouver hotel contract standard for the hard work they perform every day and it is gratifying to see the support they are winning from their union brothers & sisters and community, political and labour supporters. We will be awaiting the outcome of the decision by the LRB in this matter. Our union elections, held in January and February of this year, have brought new members onto the union’s Executive Board, including Vice-President Lorrie Dyer who has been working as an Area Steward for Northern Vancouver Island for the past few years. Sister Dyer has been a long time union member who works in the Housekeeping Department at the Coast Discovery Inn & Marina in Campbell River. We are also pleased to welcome Brother Rolando Gonzales from the Cara Flight Kitchen, Brother Jimmy Khan from the Delta Vancouver Airport Hotel in Richmond, Brother Jamie Tremblay from Host YVR and Sister Priscilla Pacheco who also works at Host YVR. These members are joining incumbent E-Board members who were also elected: Sister Vicki Bolan from the Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa, Sister Donna Bullough from the Richmond Hotel and Brother Randal Cooper from the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver. Executive Board members who were acclaimed at the union’s Nomination Meeting held on January 11, 2008, are: Sister Margaret Prieston from the Ramada Hotel in Prince George, Brother Richard Dietl from the Cara Flight Kitchen in Richmond, Brother Tom Corless from the Chateau Victoria in Victoria, Sister Louie Guevarra from Host YVR and Sister Tracy Jewer from The Bayside in Parksville. We also have three new Trustees elected and we welcome Brother Steve Grant, former Executive Board member who works at the Hilton Metrotown in Burnaby, Sister Judy Clements who works at the Holiday Inn Broadway in Vancouver and Sister Emma Jimenez from the Four Seasons in Vancouver. Together with Sister Shelly Ervin, who was re-elected for a second term as the union’s Secretary-Treasurer, I look forward to working with this dedicated set of Executive Board members to continue moving Local 40 forward. In closing, during the past few months I have had the privilege of being on hand at a number of properties where our members received their Drug Plan Cards, enabling them and their family members to now obtain their prescription medications without having to pay up front and then get reimbursed for their expenditures. Their pharmacists are now able to direct bill to the ARM Health Care Plan that these members are covered by as a result of their collective agreements. The union is seeking to overcome the challenges at the properties where we are currently unable to provide this additional benefit to our members. These challenges include employers who are chronically late in submitting their health & welfare payments and at properties where the health care plan is provided under a different administrator. We look forward to resolving these challenges as we continue to strengthen the union through establishing strong workplace committees that can bargain these additional benefits at contract time. As always, my door is open to members who wish to discuss specific issues and I hope you take the time to enjoy this edition of your union news magazine, The Mixer. | 
