Canada Casino Workers End Strike with New Deal

Deal Worked Out Thursday

Unifor, the union that represents the casino workers, announced that tentative agreements between the employers and members of Local 1090 were signed on Thursday.

“My sincere congratulations to the Local 1090 members who took on a powerful employer to fight for what was fair,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National Secretary-Treasurer.

On strike since July 29, the agreement will be released once the member ratification votes are complete on August 5. 

“These were tough negotiations, and we were able to get to a tentative agreement because members took a principled stand for better working conditions,” Corey Dalton, President of Local 1090, said in a news release. “Gaming sector workers deserve fairness during these uncertain economic times.”

What Members Wanted

The strike for Unifor members was to seek “improvements to wages, benefits, and pensions” in addition to Unifor negotiators trying to reduce the “employer’s reliance on precarious part-time jobs.”

On July 23, agreements were signed at the following sites:

• Great Blue Heron Casino
• Casino Woodbine
• Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands
• Shorelines Casino Peterborough
• Elements Casino Mohawk
• Elements Casino Brantford

Unifor is a union for the private sector in Canada representing over 315,000 workers.

Per Unifor, the union “advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.”

Moments of Tension

There were several moments of tension during the strike.

On July 31, a Unifor member of Local 1090 was struck deliberately by a car on a legal picket line at Casino Woodbine in Etobicoke, Ontario, about 31 kilometers outside of Toronto. 

The male Unifor member was brought to the hospital by ambulance, suffered a “contusion requiring stitches and a broken ankle,” and is currently at home recovering.