More than 700 casino workers, members of the British Columbia Government and Service Employees’ Union at Gateway Casinos in Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton and Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada walked off the job on June 29 in a dispute over wages and benefits. The starting salary at the casinos is $12.65 an hour, the minimum wage in B.C. The union wants the starting salary raised to $18.63 an hour.
In a statement, Gateway officials called the union’s wage demands “shocking.” The statement noted, “As you might expect, proposing a 60 percent to 80 percent wage increase is not reasonable for any business.”
Company officials said salary negotiations were not held prior to the strike. “We were surprised that the union decided to end mediation before there was a discussion on wages. The union’s decision to go on strike before wages were addressed is unfortunate for our business and for our employees. We also encourage our employees who disagree with a strike to make it clear to the union that they don’t want a strike and want to continue working to support their families,” officials stated. They added, hourly wage-earners’ pay is supplemented by tips from customers.
Union spokeswoman Gayle Furgala said, “I’ve been working here for 15 years and I make $15.21, so that’s not a living wage. For a lot of these younger people, I have no idea how they can live. It’s shameful that a multi-million dollar company cannot pay their employees a living wage.”
Furgala said the union has been in talks with Gateway since January. Their previous contract expired last September.
“We’re ready to go. We’re just waiting to hear back from the mediator. Three days in, the mood among workers was very uplifting, still really happy. We’ve had quite a few different unions join us on the picket line,” Furgala said.
Strikes by casino workers elsewhere have lasted for months. Furgala said , “If that happens, we’re prepared to buckle down. The union is asking visitors to go to Chances gaming center in Kelowna instead of patronizing Playtime Casino downtown, which is open but operating on reduced hours.
