Workers at the Novotel Hotel in downtown Toronto could strike during the G20 summit if talks break down, leaders of Unite Here Local 75, which represents over 7,000 hotel workers, said at a news conference yesterday.

Most hotel contracts in the Toronto area expired in February 2010. The only hotel that could affect the G20 summit is the Hotel Novotel Toronto Centre on The Esplanade; union president Paul Clifford said the union will be in a legal strike position on June 24.

“We have made the decision and put Novotel Toronto Centre into a legal strike lockout position,” Mr. Clifford said. “Negotiations across the city are on an individual hotel by hotel basis. We would prefer to be able to negotiate with the entire industry. They haven’t done that. We have collectively chosen to focus our attention on the Novotel Hotel prior to the G20. The rest of the hotels will be working, but members from other hotels will be joining the actions at Novotel.”

Novotel, which employs about 100 workers, is situated outside the G20 security zone; however, the French trade delegation and media personnel are booked there during the summit. Should a strike take place, Mr. Clifford said it will “involve picket lines, rallies, noise, significant delays for guests and no services in the hotel.”

Contract negotiations at 34 other hotels across the GTA are in various stages, he said.

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