VANCOUVER—To Jasmine Mooney, the paintings and neon signs displayed around her nightclub are artwork, but to a local hospitality-workers’ union, they objectify women and create a hostile work environment.

Wandering around her nightclub located in the basement of Hotel Belmont in downtown Vancouver, the distraught owner points to the installations she’s been harshly criticized for in the past several weeks.

They include drawings of women’s breasts on the ceilings in the men’s and women’s bathrooms, neon signs in the shape of human buttocks on the bathroom doors, a neon sign with the words “I f------ love to f--- you,” an image of a naked woman leaning into a car window displayed on a wall, and a neon sign that says “be naked when I get home,” on the third floor of the hotel.

The images have caused an uproar with Unite Here Local 40. Its members and “community allies” have protested outside Mooney’s bar The Living Room on the ground floor of the hotel at the heart of the Granville Entertainment District. Mooney’s company, At Home Hospitality, also operates the nightclub under The Living Room, called The Basement.

The union’s concern over the images are at the centre of a human rights complaint submitted last week with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, in which they say the images “objectify and demean women.” The complaint is being screened by the tribunal, and only complaints that contain possible incidents of discrimination will be accepted.

According to Sharan Pawa, communications specialist for the union, as many as four protests have taken place outside Hotel Belmont, lasting anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. Mooney called the protests “aggressive” tactics and said they have gone too far, noting that they have nearly caused fights with guests and neighbours. Mooney said some of her staff members have told management that the protests have caused them to feel harassed at work.

Pawa said the complaint was filed on behalf of more than five past and current employees at Hotel Belmont who are uncomfortable with the images. Pawa said she cannot disclose any information related to the workers because it would jeopardize their employment at the hotel.

“We feel that the imagery in the hotel is very sexualized, workers should not be subjected to looking at imagery which degrades women on a day-to-day basis,” Pawa said.

According to the complaint, “The images create a hostile work environment, amounting to sexual harassment contrary to section 13 of the (Human Rights) Code.”

The complaint filed by the union is against Hotel Belmont and the company that owns and runs the hotel Pacific Reach Properties. That company, however, does not own or operate The Living Room bar and The Basement in question, which is owned by Mooney and her company.

Mooney also says that Hotel Belmont and her company are two separate business entities that hire and manage their own staff.

Pawa says the union considers it “all one workplace” because Pacific Reach Properties owns the building and both The Living Room and The Basement are also branded under Hotel Belmont.

Mooney, who considers herself a staunch advocate for workers’ safety in the industry, says she’s been unfairly targeted by the union that has an ongoing dispute with Hotel Georgia, also owned by Pacific Reach Properties. She said tearfully that because she has displayed the signs and paintings, she’s been accused of supporting rape culture.

“I’m a woman and I’ve worked in this industry for 15 years, I take it extremely personally because I’m an advocate for my staff’s safety. So when people are coming at me and telling me that I am creating an unsafe environment for people, it’s devastating for me. We go above and beyond to make our staff happy … we have softball teams and soccer teams … we have an open-door (communication) policy with our staff,” Mooney said.

Pawa denied that the union was targeting anyone and said the complaints were staff driven.

The union and Pacific Reach Properties are involved in another labour dispute at Rosewood Hotel Georgia, where a possible strike could take place. In early August, Hotel Georgia workers voted 84 per cent in favour of a strike amid a labour dispute over wages and hours of work, among other issues. Following the vote, the hotel served workers with a lockout notice effective Aug. 22.

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Some female employees at Hotel Georgia have filed a human rights complaint against the hotel alleging gender discrimination, such as requiring staff to wear revealing uniforms, and alleged failure to respond to incidents of sexual harassment in the workplace.

In B.C., the law that protects all individuals from discrimination and harassment is called the Human Rights Code and sexual harassment is considered a form of sex discrimination. The display of “pornographic or other sexual materials” can be a form of sexual harassment, according to a B.C. government website that explains how to address sexual harassment in the workplace.

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Ian Kennedy, a human rights and employment lawyer who is not involved in this complaint told Star Vancouver in a statement that in the context of this bar and nightclub, the images could be problematic because it’s not limited to one or two sexual images and phrases, but is part of the theme in the decor.

He added that the tribunal has said on multiple occasions in the past that an employer can discriminate against employees on the basis of sex for displaying “sexually inappropriate or pornographic images in the workplace.”

“It is also a problem for the employer that many of the images and slogans sexualize women only ... (such as) the image of the naked woman leaning into the car window and the dozens of breasts displayed on the bathroom ceiling,” said Kennedy.

Pawa said the union has successfully convinced four hotels to implement safety measures as a result of their campaigning. Those measures include installing panic buttons on the hotel premises, banning guests who commit sexual harassment at the hotel, and protections for workers who report incidents of sexual harassment.

The union wants to see Hotel Belmont and Hotel Georgia, which are both owned by Pacific Reach Properties, follow suit.

Pacific Reach Properties did not respond to interview requests about labour disputes and sexual harassment allegations at Hotel Georgia.

“With these sexual images, they’re just creating a culture, which can contribute to harassment taking place and making workers feel uncomfortable,” said Pawa.

“What we’re seeing is a ton of this imagery concentrated in certain areas of the hotel like the lounge spaces and bars where they’re serving alcohol, (and) near the men’s washroom. Just by saying these images are everywhere doesn’t excuse from the fact that these images” are on their property, she added.

But Mooney says she’s done as much as she can to ensure a safe work environment for her staff.

In a statement to Star Vancouver, Mooney said the company has clear procedures and steps that enable workers to report harassment. She said they also provide harassment prevention training for new and existing staff.

Moreover, Mooney said the venue has multiple panic buttons throughout the rooms, employs on-site security seven nights a week and makes sure all staff are aware of their “zero tolerance policy towards any and all inappropriate or unwanted behaviour.”

Earlier this month, Unite Here Local 40, which represents about 6,000 workers in B.C.’s hospitality industry, released survey results indicating that 73 per cent of workers at Hotel Georgia were made uncomfortable or unsafe by a hotel guest. At the lower end of the range, 31 per cent of workers at the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver reported they were made uncomfortable by hotel guests.

A total of 190 workers participated in the survey, which comprised eight questions on guest behaviour, training and how management responded when staff reported sexual harassment incidents initiated by guests. The survey was conducted in July.

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