Six casinos located in Ontario have avoided a strike now that an agreement has been reached between the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation (GCGC) and the union representing the employees.
The union issued a release Saturday morning saying tentative agreements had been signed by bargaining committees for Great Blue Heron Casino, Casino Woodbine, Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands, Shorelines Casino Peterborough, Elements Casino Mohawk and Elements Casino Brantford.
Unifor had issued a strike mandate stating that 1,830 workers at eight GCGC locations would walk off the job. Although six casinos have reached a deal, negotiations are still underway for Pickering Casino Resort and Casino Ajax.
At the other two locations, workers will remain on strike until a deal is reached. The full details of the agreement will be released when it's ratified; but the key issues during talks have been wages, benefits and pensions.
Assistant to the Unifor President Chris MacDonald commented: "Gaming sector workers were pivotal to ensuring GCGC casinos rebounded following the COVID-19 shut-downs. It has been a very difficult period for casino workers and these tentative agreements are a step in the right direction."
Local 1090 represents 1,500 employees at the Durham casinos, Great Blue Heron, Casino Woodbine, Shorelines Casino Peterborough and Thousand Islands.
Local President Corey Dalton stated: "There is an unacceptable gap in the wages and benefits between workers doing the same job for the same employer an hour down the highway."
"This strike is about fair working conditions across the gaming sector during uncertain economic times."
The GCGC stated that there are "contingency plans" in place should the strike continue.
