After just a few hours, contract talks shut down between striking workers and Caesars Windsor in Ontario, Canada. The casino and adjoining hotel have been closed since most of the 2,300 members of Unifor Local 444, representing cooks, dealers, housekeepers and janitors, rejected a tentative deal and walked off the job on April 6.
The tentative agreement included signing bonuses of $1,150 for full-time employees, $900 for part-time employees and $500 for casual employees.
Wages would have increased 75 cents an hour starting from April 4, 2018, 50 cents on April 4, 2019 and 50 cents on April 4, 2020. Pensions also would have increased 1 per cent for every employee. But workers considered the wage increases too low, since the Ontario government boosted the minimum wage at the beginning of the year.
Unifor Local 444 President James Stewart said 10 years ago the average hourly wage for a casino worker was $15.30. Today it’s $17. “If you look at inflation for the last 10 years it’s up 17 per cent so that would put the average hourly rate at $17.90. They’re 90 cents behind inflation so you can understand their frustration. It’s hit them hard,” Stewart said.
The union presented a new proposal to Caesars Windsor on April 10. Stewart said the new proposal included financial and non-financial issues raised by members who rejected the tentative agreement. “We presented a package that we heard about clearly from our members. We tried to re-establish the collective agreement and then look at some changes to it,” Stewart said.
Company officials said they would not discuss the latest offer until April 18. Then, Stewart said, the officials reviewed the union’s proposal for several hours before rejecting it without a counter offer. “They took it for a couple of hours and came back and said they have no interest in anything we put forward. I don’t see an attempt there to bargain at all. I’m frustrated for our members,” he said.
In a statement, Caesars Windsor said, “Today the groups met to discuss the issues but we were unable to reach a framework for an agreement. Unfortunately, the labor disruption continues and we remain closed.”
Regarding the next step, Stewart stated, “To be honest we don’t know. They really need to change their position.”He said union officials emphasized they were willing to continue bargaining.
Meanwhile, Gateway Casinos in Point Edward and Dresden have been scooping up Caesars Windsor players. Gateway Casinos spokesman Rob Mitchell said, “People who enjoy gambling as entertainment and frequent Caesars Windsor are shut out now. They’re looking for alternatives. Our casinos are in relatively close proximity to Windsor, and offer many of the same amenities. There is no question our general managers are reporting increased traffic as a consequence of the labor disruption at Caesars Windsor.”
