The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto is facing heavy backlash after staff were allegedly instructed by hotel management to remove a union Pride pin from their uniforms, or be sent home without pay.

According to the Toronto Hospitality Employees Union/CSN (THEU-CSN), Fairmont Royal York managers began approaching employees wearing union pins with the Pride rainbow and demanding that they remove them from their uniforms in June. 

The union alleges that managers informed employees that they would be sent home without pay if they refused to remove the pin. In response, LGBTQ2S+ members of the union proposed that employees assert their rights over Pride weekend in Toronto by wearing their pins. 

"Pride weekend in Toronto is about expressing yourself free from any kind of fear or intimidation," said Ashley Hayes, Secretary-Treasurer of the union. "I just don't understand why Fairmont Royal York management cannot let their workers express themselves. I would think that they would celebrate this." 

The union says that the parent company of the Fairmont Royal York, Accor S.A., only added LGBTQ+ inclusion as a new pillar of their Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Strategy in 2021. 

The THEU-CSN has already filed a complaint at the Ontario Labour Relations Board for an incident on June 1, when hosts working at the hotel's restaurants and bar were allegedly sent home without pay for refusing to remove another union pin. 

The union says it will be following up with an additional complaint dealing with the most recent actions. 

Back in November 2022, front desk workers at the hotel voted 100 per cent in favour of joining the union in their Ontario Labour Relations Board union certification election. The union is affiliated with the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), which represents more than 330,000 workers in all industry sectors.

The THEU-CSN is currently in negotiations for a first collective agreement for the hosts and the front desk workers at the hotel. 

"Pride pins were made available to all team members at the hotel, as one of the many ways that we celebrate Pride in Toronto and support the 2SLGBTQIA+ community year-round," reads a statement from the hotel to blogTO.  

"The situation in question is related to the hotel's union agreements, and is completely unrelated to Pride. The hotel is a proud supporter of our 2SLGBTQIA+ employees, guests and community."