Unifor made some big strides in the past few days, averting the strike which had been looming with 6 land-based casinos. The labour union held talks with the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation in Ontario, discussing the increase of wages and improved working terms. It is believed that a tentative agreement has been reached with 6 of the 8 casinos which fall under the GCGC.
The following groups are expected to be part of the upcoming agreement:
- Great Blue Heron Casino
- Casino Woodbine
- Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands
- Shorelines Casino Peterborough
- Security Workers at Elements Casino Mohawk
- Security Workers at Elements Casino Brantford
Last week, a large number of members from the eight Great Canadian Gaming Corporation properties expressed extreme dissatisfaction with their current terms of employment and vocalized that they were ready to go out on strike by the next week, if an arrangement was not found before Friday, July 22, 2022. The negotiations seemed to go all the way down to the, and two casinos even failed to negotiate a new contract with their workers.
Unifor represents approximately 315,000 workers and is Canada’s largest union in the private sector. Three main Unifor groups are involved in this case: Unifor 1090, 252, and 504. Sites represented by the groups include:
Unifor 1090: 1500 workers from the Great Blue Heron Casino, Casino Woodbine, Pickering Casino Resort, Casino Ajax, Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands, and Shorelines Casino Peterborough.
Unifor 252: 30 security workers at Elements Casino Mohawk.
Unifor 504: 300 workers at Elements Casino Brantford, 275 workers at Elements Casino Mohawk (slots), and Elements Casino Flamboro.
Negotiations Still Going On For 2 Casinos
Committees from Pickering Casino Resort and Casino Ajax are still in negotiations and for now remain on strike. There seems to be an unacceptable gap between wages and benefits required by the workers and what the casinos are willing to offer. The union does however seem hopeful that a deal can be struck, similar to the other 6 casinos from the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation.
Past Negotiations Between Casinos and Unifor
The union was able to negotiate successfully earlier this year with two major gaming properties in Ontario, in the Caesars Casino Windsor and Casino Rama. The deal with Caesars Entertainment in particular was a big improvement, increasing wages for unionized staff over the next three years. The Casino Rama deal saw the Gateway Casinos & Entertainment operated company find a new arrangement which would award their workers a wage boost of 9.5% over an undisclosed period.
