Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York is facing backlash after staff were allegedly told by management to remove a union pride pin from their uniforms or they would be sent home without pay.
According to the Toronto Hospitality Employees Union/CSN (THEU-CSN), managers at Fairmont Royal York began approaching employees who wore union Pride rainbow pins in June and asked them to remove them from their uniforms.
The union claims managers told workers they would be sent home without pay if they refused to remove the needle. In response, LGBTQ2S+ members of the union suggested that employees assert their rights at Toronto Pride weekend by wearing their lapel pins.
“Pride weekend in Toronto is about expressing yourself free from any fear or intimidation,” said Ashley Hayes, union secretary and treasurer. “I just don’t understand why management at the Fairmont Royal York can’t allow their staff to speak out. I think they would celebrate that.”
The union says it was only in 2021 that the Fairmont Royal York’s parent company, Accor SA, added LGBTQ+ inclusion as a new pillar to its diversity, equity and inclusion strategy.
THEU-CSN has already filed a complaint with the Ontario Labor Relations Board over a June 1 incident in which hosts who worked in the hotel’s restaurants and bar were allegedly sent home without pay for refusing to provide a remove more union pins.
The union says it will file another complaint addressing the recent actions.
Back in November 2022, the hotel’s front desk staff voted 100 percent to join the union in the Ontario Labor Relations Board’s union certification election. The union is affiliated with the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), which represents more than 330,000 workers in all sectors.
THEU-CSN is currently negotiating a first collective agreement for the hosts and the hotel reception staff.
“Pride badges were provided to all team members at the hotel as one of the many ways we celebrate Pride in Toronto and support the 2SLGBTQIA+ community throughout the year,” the hotel said in a statement to blogTO.
“The situation in question is related to the hotel’s union agreements and has nothing to do with Pride. The hotel is a proud supporter of our 2SLGBTQIA+ staff, guests and community.”