Courtesy of USW Canada
Contact: Joe Drexler, USW Strategic Campaigns, 416-544-6009, 416-434-7907, jdrexler@uswa.ca
Alexandra Eshelman, USW Strategic Campaigns, 416-544-5968, aeshelman@usw.ca
Bob Gallagher, USW Communications, 416-544-5966, 416-434-2221, bgallagher@usw.ca
TORONTO - The United Steelworkers (USW) is reminding thousands of travel agents in the United States and Canada to act cautiously and responsibly by making their clients fully aware of potential risks when booking a Carnival cruise.
In a recent newsletter to 16,000 travel agents, high levels of crime and violence at a popular Carnival port-of-call are cited as a serious concern for potential passengers.
According to a United Nations report released in April, Honduras has the highest murder rate in the world.
"Carnival frequently cruises to Roatan in Honduras despite the fact that passengers have experienced violent crime there and that the U.S. State Department has issued a travel advisory for Honduras warning U.S. citizens that the level of crime and violence in Honduras remains critically high."
Carnival ships taking passengers on the company's popular seven-day Western Caribbean cruises will make a total of 38 stops in Roatan between June 11 and August 28, far more than any other cruise line. Meanwhile, Norwegian Cruise Lines began cancelling cruises to the area after a crew member was recently shot.
The newsletter also points out that families travelling with young children need to be aware that Carnival, unlike Disney, doesn't provide lifeguards to supervise pools on its ships, even though a six-year old boy tragically drowned in a pool on the Carnival Victory in October 2013.
The USW continues to hold Carnival CEO Arnold Donald responsible for his role in the lengthy strike at Crown Holdings Inc., where Donald is a key director.
At Carnival's annual shareholders' meeting in April, USW members and supporters challenged Donald to help end the strike provoked by Crown Holdings in Toronto over nine months ago. The CEO asked for information on the strike and agreed to relay the union's concerns to management. USW provided the information to Donald, but the CEO has not responded or acted publicly to help end the strike.
The USW and other labour groups are calling for a boycott of Carnival cruises.
For more information on the USW's campaign against Crown Holdings and Carnival Corporation, see www.takebacksnomore.ca.
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