While in the United States, hotel workers have just obtained a historic increase of $10 an hour, the largest increase in 100 years, the upward movement is being felt in Quebec.
Last Monday the Wall Street Journal reported that a hotel union had just succeeded in raising the wages of some workers in the industry by US$7.50 an hour (C$10).
In total, more than 7,000 members of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, spread over 87 suburban hotels in Princeton, New York and Long Island, were entitled to this increase, the most generous in a century.
Staff shortage
If, in Quebec, the picture is not the same, we still see some increases and efforts to try to curb the labor shortage.
At the Entourage sur-le-Lac hotel in Lac-Beauport, near Quebec City, the executive chef, Sébastien Laframboise, talks regarding increases of more than 35%.
“A first cook, who earned $18.50 an hour in 2019, can fetch up to $25 an hour today,” he illustrates.
580 kilometers away, at the Manoir Belle Plage, in the Gaspé, the owner, David Comeau, relies on the feeling of belonging, which he considers even more important than money.
From $1,500 bonuses
To remain competitive, David Comeau also recently had the idea of sharing part of his profits with his employees, according to the hours worked.
“An employee may have a few hundred dollars. Another, more than $1,500,” points out the man at the head of a team of 25 employees.
“To make sure that the worker is not taxed on these amounts, we put them in retirement savings accounts [REER] “, he continues.
According to Véronyque Tremblay, CEO of the Association Hôtellerie Québec (AHQ), there is currently a real upward movement with wages.
“In housekeeping and cooking, there have been more significant increases,” she says, also specifying that the salary is not the only important element.
“Our hoteliers often go to agencies and they ask for big prices. Some are struggling to find rescuers,” she adds.
“We have to stop saying that jobs in tourism are not well paid. There is a way to make a career and earn a good living,” concludes Martin Soucy, CEO of the Quebec Tourism Industry Alliance (Alliance).
► Room attendants, cooks, dishwashers and night auditors are the most difficult positions to fill, according to a recent study by the Association Hôtellerie Québec with Horwath HTL. In general management, the salary varies between $74,700 and $148,600.
