About 20 hotel workers, politicians and labour leaders barged into a morning housekeeping meeting at the downtown Sheraton Centre Thursday to protest a Green Choice initiative they say takes jobs away.
Former MP Peggy Nash led the charge of workers carrying mops and brooms into the meeting, catching hotel staff off guard.
Sheraton Centre security was called, but the protesters wouldn’t leave and, ultimately, two Toronto police officers were called to usher the activists out of the building. They were demanding a meeting with the hotel’s general manager, Tony Dunn.
Manager Marsha Ray met with the protesters but said she was not authorized to speak for Dunn, who was not expected at the hotel until later in the day.
The hotel’s “Make a Green Choice” program offers guests who stay more than one night an incentive, such as a $5 meal voucher or loyalty points, to refuse housekeeping services.
Protesters say this should not be confused with programs that ask guests to reuse towels and sheets. They say the program costs housekeeping jobs and causes injuries to workers because it is harder to clean rooms that have not been cleaned for several days. About 200 housekeeping workers at the hotel are represented by United Local 75.
