VOICES ON ITS CAUSES AND CONCLUSIONS

Joan Jones, a hospitality worker at McMaster University and a union steward with SEIU Local 2, described the success of the recent hospitality workers strike at McMaster to Mayday.

“They really hoped they could push us to settle. They didn’t think we were strong enough to do what we did.”
This is how Izabella Felinczak also works in hospitality at Mac and elaborated on the same idea:  “I believe Human Resources were convinced they’d get their way and we’d lose our jobs. I don’t think they expected women, single mothers, and little old ladies were going to stand up to the university. They thought the university would have power over us.” It is estimated that three-quarters of hospitality workers at McMaster are women.