“We had no choice to hit the picket lines today”: Nico Wynd Golf workers strike over seniority, unpaid wages, and harassment

SURREY, British Columbia, Oct. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Approximately 30 employees at Nico Wynd Golf in Surrey are on strike over seniority rights, unpaid wages, and harassment, says SEIU Local 2 of the groundskeepers, restaurant servers & cooks, and a pro-shop clerk.

MEDIA AVAILABILITY

What: Solidarity BBQ to support striking Nico Wynd Golf course workers

Who: SEIU Local 2 members and supporters

When: Thursday, October 1. 11am-1pm

Where: 3601 Nico Wynd Drive, Surrey

“I have worked at Nico Wynd for decades and I know the respect and security that come from having seniority and seasonal rights,” says Mike Graveling, a groundskeeper with 20 years of service. “Now the employer is trying to strip us of them at the bargaining table and continues being unreasonable on several important and surprisingly basic fronts. We deserve respect for the years we've given to this workplace. We deserve a fair deal that protects our hard-bargained rights and our future.”

The bargaining committee met with management three times in the early summer, then went to mediation for another three days in July. After refusing to offer a fair deal, the employer applied a section 78 forcing the workers to vote on management’s final offer which the union members overwhelmingly voted down.

In addition to management seeking to cancel seniority and layoff recall rights, putting seasonal and restaurant shifts at risk, there have been grievances around bullying and harassment at the workplace, and workers have consistently been paid late and have regularly missed pay for hours worked.

“I’m continuously paid late and incorrectly,” says Colby McNabb, a groundskeeper with 8 years of service. “A few months ago, I was $1,500 short on my pay. I had rent to pay and couldn’t. After I raised the issue with my union, one of the managers started berating me about it.”

Despite these issues, the members want to get back to work to deliver services for patrons of the golf course, adding that improving working conditions is critical to improving everyone’s experience at Nico Wynd.

"I love working at Nico Wynd and making sure the golf course is operating in the best way possible,” says Richard Colton, a groundskeeper with 3 years of service. “And that's exactly why we're on strike. When our working conditions improve, the services we deliver for patrons improve as well."

SEIU Local 2 represents 20,000 workers in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, including hundreds of golf course workers in over a dozen courses in BC.

For more information, contact:

Daniel Tseghay | Media Contact, SEIU Local 2
dtseghay@seiulocal2.ca | 403-605-5906