The head of a luxury train touring company that locked out 108 of its workers is accusing nine Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»city councillors of intervening in a labour dispute to discredit his role as chairperson of the NPAs election campaign.
Peter Armstrong, CEO of Rocky Mountaineer Vacations, said he received a letter Tuesday from the councillors who urged him to stop using replacement workers and return to the bargaining table.
I think theyre just trying to find ways to either embarrass me or put pressure on me, said Armstrong, who is overseeing the NPAs campaign as the party ramps up for the November civic election. Im disappointed and I think its unbecoming for the city councillors. Theyre using my employees as a bit of a pawn.
Vision Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Coun. Geoff Meggs drafted the letter that was signed by Vision councillors George Chow, Kerry Jang, Raymond Louie, Andrea Reimer, Tim Stevenson and Heather Deal.
COPE councillors David Cadman and Ellen Woodsworth also signed the letter which was printed on City of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»letterhead. Mayor Gregor Robertson did not sign the letter, which was made public on Twitter.
We do not believe we can build the tourism industry with a strategy that treats customer service reps as little more than disposable people, to be used and discarded, the letter said.
Meggs denied the letter was politically motivated but driven by his support of union workers and tourism. He said such a letter is not unprecedented and that he previously supported workers in a hotel dispute.
When visitors to town encounter a picket line because of a lockout and the use of replacement workers, thats clearly a problem for our tourism brand, Meggs said of the Rocky Mountaineer dispute. This is a very unusual case because we have a high-profile firm with international exposure which has basically completely eliminated its workforce or replaced it to avoiding paying conditions that its paid for a long time.
Woodsworth said she signed the letter because of her concern over fair labour practices for workers. She supported workers at a rally in the recent Canada Post strike but couldnt recall previously signing her name to a letter related to a labour dispute with multiple signatures from councillors.
I dont know if this has happened before, she said. Certainly this council is probably a council more sympathetic to workers than previous councils have been.
She and Stevenson both denied their support for Rocky Mountaineer workers was a strategy to discredit Armstrong and the NPA. Stevenson noted he once worked as a tour bus driver for Armstrongs former company, Gray Line.
It has nothing to do with his role with the NPA but rather his role with Rocky Mountain, Stevenson said. From my point of view, this letter is to have Peter have a second look at this dispute.
Rocky Mountaineer locked out 108 of its on-board attendants June 22, seven days after representatives of the workers gave the company strike notice. The dispute is related to wages, overtime and benefits.
The company provides luxury train travel to Whistler, the Rocky Mountains, Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Island and Seattle. It has an office on Terminal Avenue, where its striking workers have gathered since being locked out.
Replacement workers are not permitted under the B.C. Labour Code but Rocky Mountaineer is a federally registered company and allowed to hire replacement workers.
The union workers belong to Teamsters Local 31, which contributed $1,000 to Vision Vancouver¹s 2008 election campaign, according to documents filed at city hall. The workers were formerly members of the Canadian Auto Workers' union.
To view a copy of the letter signed by city councilors, CLICK HERE.
Twitter: @Howellings
