As Toronto Hotels Gouge Swifties, Workers Demand Raises ahead of Taylor Swift Residency

 

UNITE HERE Local 75 members at the Fairmont Royal York have not had a wage increase since 2021, demand raises to keep ahead of skyrocketing costs

TORONTO, Friday November 15, 2024 – Last night, more than 300 workers rallied at the Fairmont Royal York, calling on the hotel to agree to significant raises ahead of Taylor Swift’s six-night residency at the Rogers Center. While hotel companies in Toronto are charging fans upwards of $2000 a night for a room, workers who will serve the influx of Swift fans in Toronto hotels are bargaining for raises that keep ahead of the exploding cost of living.

Workers at the Fairmont have not seen raises since November 2021, and workers at the Toronto Marriott City Centre and other hotels are gearing up for their next round of negotiations.

“We’re excited to welcome Taylor Swift’s fans to our hotel. I’m a fan, myself,” says Grace Guanzon a Room Attendant who has served the Fairmont hotel for 30 years. “But we’re living on 2021 wages in 2024. Everything is more expensive – food, rent, transportation. It’s upsetting to see hotels profit at the expense of music fans and their workers.”

Royal York workers have fallen behind the standard UNITE HERE achieved at other hotels across the GTA. The Union has been negotiating a new contract with the hotel since April 2022. The local represents over 8,000 hospitality workers in the region.

“At the end of the day, this is about respect,” says Shelli Sareen, Secretary Treasurer of UNITE HERE! Local 75, “Fairmont knows our members deserve a strong contract. Our members provide 5-star service, they deserve a 5-star contract with wages that reflect their hard work they put into the hotel day after day.”

Sareen added “We’re looking forward to welcoming Ms. Swift’s fans to our city and we expect to serve thousands more in our hotels. We want fans to know that while they’re spending so much money here, hotel workers are not getting their fair share.”