CURC endorses boycott of Carnival Cruises

OTTAWA, MARCH 4, 2026 – The 500,000 member strong Congress of Union Retirees of Canada (CURC) announced today it is endorsing the growing boycott of Carnival Cruises until a six-month-long labour dispute at Crown Holdings is resolved.

“We are sending a strong message with this boycott,” said CURC President Pat Kerwin. “Carnival’s CEO Arnold Donald knows that his business relies on decent wages, pensions and vacation time that allow workers and seniors to take cruises. Yet, in his role as Crown Holdings director, he’s supporting an attack on workers that would permanently slash wages for new workers and keep pensions low for existing workers who have been making sacrifices for years. We want Carnival’s CEO to know Canadian union retirees won’t be taking his cruises unless he acts to offer Crown workers a fair deal.”

“CURC’s decision to boycott Carnival is crucial and we applaud it. There is no doubt that union retirees represent a good part of Carnival’s business and that makes CURC’S announcement today especially significant,” said Ken Neumann, United Steelworkers (USW) National Director.

“There are literally tens of thousands of retirees who could afford to take Carnival’s cruises because of decent union pensions. Carnival stands to lose a lot of customers here, and even more as we continue to expand the boycott.”

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