PORT ALBERNI, British Columbia, Dec. 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Permanent unionized employees at the Alberni Golf Club are back to work. A settlement was reached on December 15, and the staff were on the job on the 16th.
“It's such a relief to be back at work, especially at this time of year,” said Carl Wagner, an employee with nearly 14 years of service. “A heartfelt thanks to all those that supported us in both the labour and local communities. We couldn't have done this without you.”
In addition to the permanent employees going back to work, the Golf Club’s management has agreed to recognize seasonal employees’ recall rights; to the wages the union said were agreed to in bargaining (essentially that wage increases for number of days worked apply to seasonal employees and not just permanent employees); backpay for seasonal employees at those increased wage rates; and recognizes vacation pay increases for seasonal employees. Seasonal employees will also enjoy free golf at the club.
“This has been an incredibly difficult time for the entire full-time crew, especially being laid off just before Christmas,” said Ak Manhas, who was laid off for the first time in his 38 years of employment. “Your support truly made a difference in helping us get through the challenging situation. We are happy to be back at work with our collective agreement respected. Thank you again everyone.”
The boycott of Alberni Golf Club has now been called off.
BACKGROUND
Six unionized seasonal workers were laid off after Labour Day, much earlier in the fall than the usual mid-October seasonal layoff. Most of them have been working at Alberni Golf Club for five to eight years. Then, in an unprecedented move, the Golf Club laid off the remaining three unionized full-time permanent employees on Tuesday, November 14.
On November 23, more than 50 community supporters joined unionized workers in a rally to say “no” to mass layoffs, and what the workers said was retaliation and an attempt to bust their Union. Workers also hosted an informational town hall meeting on December 8. The BC Federation of Labour called for a boycott of the club in early December.
SEIU Local 2 represents 20,000 workers in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. We are proud members of the largest, fastest growing, and most dynamic union in North America.
