A strike was averted at eight Ontario casinos owned by Great Canadian Gaming Corp. (GCGC). It reached a tentative agreement with Unifor, which represents 1,830 workers at the casinos before the midnight deadline on July 18. Without an agreement, the workers would have walked off their jobs.
However, workers at Casino Woodbine and Pickering Casino Resort did go on strike on July 18.
Unifor represents workers at Great Blue Heron Casino, Casino Woodbine, Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands, Shorelines Casino Peterborough, Elements Casino Mohawk, and Elements Casino Brantford. Negotiations are continuing. Union members were expected to vote on the tentative agreements this week.
However, Corey Dalton, president of Unifor Local 1090, commented on the striking workers: “Pickering workers are trying to close the gap between their compensation and the compensation for workers at Casino Woodbine which are both large resort-style casinos, owned and operated by the same employer.” Dalton added, “We value our customers and the relationships we’ve built with guests over the years. Good wages and benefits translate directly into job satisfaction and that’s good for business.”
Great Canadian Gaming commented on the Pickering Casino Resort website that they were trying to reach an agreement that would provide “fair and attractive” wages and benefits. “Regrettably, Unifor has rejected our offer and has chosen to strike.”
Pickering remains open 24/7 but its table games are closed.
The company said it has “contingency plans” to keep Casino Ajax open: “We are confident that we will be able to mitigate that disruption with the team we have in place and are committed to working diligently to deliver a great gaming experience.”
