Vancouver International Airport (YVR) may have gritty floors and overflowing garbage cans during the upcoming busy holiday travel season.
More than 200 janitors, who clean the airport, plan to walk off the job on Friday (Dec. 20) at 7 a.m. and set up an ongoing picket line as part of their strike.
They say they have been without a contact since the end of September. A person at the janitors' SEIU Local 2 union, who was not authorized to speak to media, told BIV that there were no negotiations with employer Alpine Building Maintenance Inc. until after the janitors' three-year contract ended in September.
The company and BC Labour Board were provided with the required strike notice yesterday, the union said in a news release.
The workers are seeking a base wage that is at least $25 per hour, up from what the source at the union said is now $23.26 per hour. The union has not yet outlined any other strike demands.
BIV left messages with Alpine's COO Leta Hill, but she did not immediately respond to a phone call and an email.
The Vancouver Airport Authority (VAA), which oversees the airport, has yet to respond to BIV's question on what the VAA will do to ensure a clean airport if the janitors go on an extended strike and garbage is not collected.
It said in an email that Living Wage BC has certified the VAA as a living-wage employer, and that as part of that certification the VAA mandates that all of its direct service providers also pay living wages.
"Alpine has confirmed that it has met the requirements of the living wage certification beginning in 2023," the VAA said in its email.
It added that it is not directly involved in the collective bargaining process between Alpine and its employees but said that it was "monitoring the situation closely."
SEIU Local 2 said food service workers at YVR recently signed a contract that brings all workers who have at least five years of service to a wage of at least $25 per hour, and provides a pathway for employees who have fewer years of service to reach a wage of $25 per hour by October 2025.
YVR in April ranked as the best airport in North America and the 17th best worldwide by Skytrax, which is the most esteemed airport ranker in the world. Skytrax bases its rankings on more than 20 million traveller surveys annually.
AirlineRankings.com earlier this month ranked YVR as the third best airport in the world based on a survey of its readers, although it was unclear how many travellers contributed to the survey.
