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159 employees of the Habs organization were told of their layoffs just hours before a game
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
159 employees of the Habs organization were told of their layoffs just hours before a game
Credit: Getty Images
In recent days, 159 employees of the habs Group (hosts and hostesses working in the Bell Centre’s suites) learned of their dismissal, effective at the end of June.

Naturally, this was a shock for the employees in question.

As reported by journalist Francis Pilon, from Québecor, the habs decided to reorganize their system. The suite owners can now hire their own staff, as said by France Margaret Bélanger, President of Sports and Entertainment for the habs Group.

It is worth noting that the 159 employees are unionized. And at this time, there were negotiations to renew their collective agreement.

Now, instead of having habs Group employees, the Canadiens will go outside, to another agency, to avoid having unionized hosts and hostesses. And this, even if France Margaret Bélanger denies that it was done to avoid unionized employees.

It’s clearly a tactic to intimidate our group. – Anonymous employee

In Francis Pilon’s article, we read that the news had been poorly received and that a hostess even thought she was going to be sick when she learned of the dismissal. Some were unable to work.

The news was learned just before the game against the Senators, on Tuesday. This is not how it’s done.

According to what we’ve heard, it was just two hours before the game that the meeting took place to announce the departure of the 159 employees on June 30. It was between 5:30 and 6:00 pm that the blow fell.

And when you work with the public, you can’t have a bad attitude. Game time is not just an expression reserved for players…

We can also report that the option to change unions was on the table for the employees. The negotiations for the collective agreement were not going well with the habs Group, as you might expect, and there were tensions.

Did the habs also want to go outside to avoid the union protecting certain more stubborn employees? It’s also possible.

Naturally, this created a commotion among the employees in question, but also among the suite owners. Some were really upset and, according to our sources, several suite owners intend to hire the person who served them for years because the bond of trust is there.

Ultimately, that’s what the Canadiens want.

Let’s mention that the Canadiens are using techniques often associated with Americans (in a trade war with Canada) these days. After all, it seems that the habs Group has taken a page from Amazon’s book in this story.

Go Habs Go?

We will also mention, in conclusion, that the best employees will be referred to the agency that will take over in association with the habs. We are told that the salary will be three dollars more per hour… but without the possibility of tips.

For many hosts and hostesses, this is a tough blow.


Overtime

– As a third center? Possibly, yes.

– News from CF Montréal.

– Expansion: inevitable.

– Notice to baseball fans.

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