• Français
Find Your Local Union
Subscribe to E-news
 
Login
Scholarships
Contact

UFCW Canada - Union Logo

Canada's Private Sector Union

  • About Our Union
  • Media & News
  • Resources
  • Issues
  • Action Centre
  • Join the Union
Media & News

Directions Newsletter

Union wins back $85K in tips withheld by Fairmont Chateau Whistler

Vancouver – February 1, 2020 – Following complaints filed by UFCW Local 1518, Fairmont Chateau Whistler will voluntarily repay $85,000 in gratuities it withheld from workers in its banquet department. According to the union, the tips were wrongfully taken and thus contravened Section 30 of the B.C. Employment Standards Act.

Banquet workers contacted the union for help in 2018, after Fairmont management rolled out a new “tipping structure” in which gratuities given by hotel guests to banquet workers would be taken from them and used to subsidize the wages of managers.

Despite workers raising their concerns with management multiple times, Fairmont Chateau Whistler refused to stop withholding tips, says Patrick Johnson, Secretary-Treasurer of UFCW 1518. “These workers tried in vain to address the issue themselves. But they couldn’t make the employer listen or obey the law. That’s when they called us.”

According to banquet workers, Fairmont Chateau Whistler took 20 percent of the gratuities they earned and redistributed them to “Catering Services/Planning”; from there the tips were paid directly to catering sales managers. Employer theft of gratuities is illegal in B.C. thanks to changes made to the Employment Standards Act by the province’s NDP government last spring. British Columbia was the last province in Canada to provide legal protection for worker-earned gratuities.

This case shows why unions are needed more than ever, especially with the rise of precarious work and the growth of the gig economy, says Johnson. “When workers lack the collective voice and power of a union, it’s much easier for employers to break the law and exploit their employees,” he remarks. “As a result of our advocacy and the subsequent investigation by the Employment Standards Branch, Fairmont Chateau Whistler will voluntarily repay about 60 of its employees $85,000. That is significant and a real win for those workers.”

Johnson adds that while Fairmont Whistler’s wrongful withholding of tips had real life consequences for the workers, the luxury hotel faced no penalty for violating employment standards. “Without serious repercussions for breaking our labour laws, employers will continue to abuse non-unionized workers. That’s why UFCW 1518 will continue to push for enforcement, and fight for fairness for all workers.”

UFCW Local 1518 represents more than 24,000 members working in the community health, hospitality, retail, grocery, industrial, and professional sectors across British Columbia. To learn more about UFCW 1518, visit the Local Union’s website.

  • Media & News
    • News
      • Topics
        • Agriculture
        • By the Numbers
        • Campaigns
        • Directions Newsletter
        • Politics
        • Human Rights, Equity and Diversity
        • Women and Gender Equity
        • Young Workers
        • Health & Safety
      • Press Releases
    • Media
    • Subscribe to E-news

Media Contact

For media inquiries, please email [email protected] with the word ‘Media’ in the subject line.

  • Find our brand guidelines here.
  • Join the Union
  • About Our Union
    • About Our Union
      • Find Your Local Union
      • National President
      • National Council
      • Constitution
      • Union History
      • UFCW Canada Annual Report
      • Brand Guidelines
      • Join UFCW Canada
  • Media & News
    • Media & News
      • News
      • Media
      • Subscribe to E-news
  • Resources
    • Resources
      • Stand for Canada, Shop UFCW-made
      • The National Defence Fund
      • Migrant Members
      • Union Training & Scholarships
      • Member Discounts
      • Health & Safety
      • UFCW Canada Equity Grant Program
  • Issues
    • Issues
      • Leukemia Fundraising
      • Political Action
      • Women and Gender Equity
      • Social Justice
      • The Union for Agriculture Workers
      • UFCW Pride – Union Pride!
      • Young Workers
      • Food Justice
      • Global Solidarity
      • Uber Drivers United
      • Conscious Cannabis
  • Action Centre
    • Action Centre
      • Affordability for All
      • Violence is not part of the job: Respect Frontline Workers!
      • Make Truth and Reconciliation a paid day of recognition and remembrance
      • Paid Sick Days Now!
      • End the Heritage Inn Lockout Now
  • Join the Union
    • Join the Union
      • Why UFCW Canada
      • Union Advantage
      • Union Facts
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Everything About Unions
      • Industries We Represent
      • Workplaces We Represent
      • How to Join a Union
      • Join Now

Login

FacebookXYoutube2Instagram

Copyright © 2025 UFCW Canada. All Rights Reserved
United Food and Commercial Workers Union
Canada's private sector union