Casino Rama’s union members gave their bargaining committee an overwhelming strike mandate during a day-long vote on Saturday.
Unifor Local 1090 hosted seven information sessions/votes at an Orillia hotel Saturday. In all, 820 members voted 95 per cent in favour of a strike if negotiations between the union and Gateway Casinos and Entertainment, the operator of Casino Rama, fail.
“Nobody wants to strike,” stressed Corey Dalton, president of Unifor Local 1090, the union that represents more than 1,400 dealers, slot workers, cashiers, food/beverage staff and others at the gambling site in Rama.
“A strike is absolutely a last resort,” said Dalton, noting a strike would only happen “if the bargaining committee is unable to get a fair and equitable agreement for our members.”
Talks between Unifor and Gateway began before Christmas, but took a break during the Christmas holidays.
Dalton believes the mandate from the employees will add some pressure to negotiations, which will begin anew tomorrow.
“It shows the employer that it’s not just nine people on the bargaining committee telling them false statements … it’s a reflection of what our members are saying,” said Dalton.
They’re saying they’re not happy, he stressed.
“I think (the strike mandate) shows the employees at Casino Rama are unhappy (and) that they are sending a message that they … are willing to fight to get a better deal,” said Dalton.
He said he hopes “it does put pressure on” Gateway, “who are the ones basically driving what’s happening.”
The vote is a message that “the status quo is not acceptable,” said Dalton, noting Casino Rama employees enter bargaining at “the bottom of the barrel when it comes to wages, benefits, pensions and stuff like that and they can’t continue to operate on that heavy-laden discount.”
Natasha Borutski, a public relations specialist at Casino Rama, provided the following comment about the strike vote:
"Casino Rama Resort respects the decision of our employees and the outcome of the vote," Borutski said in an email to OrilliaMatters Sunday. "We are continuing to work with Unifor in the best interest of our CREW, and are hopeful for a mutually positive outcome by which employees can feel confident that a strike action is not required."
Dalton said Unifor also is hopeful a strike is not necessary.
“Unifor’s success rate for bargaining is 98 per cent without a work stoppage,” Dalton told OrilliaMatters Sunday. “I think there’s always a deal to be had … we just have to find one that works for our members and also works for the employer.”
In an interview in December, Dalton acknowledged Casino Rama employees have “high expectations” entering talks with the employer.
“Casino Rama members are, on average, the lowest compensated workers in the industry in the province,” Dalton said at the time, noting Rama employees also have “the lowest wages, weakest benefit package and weakest pension package.”
The two sides have until 12:01 a.m. Jan. 24 to strike a deal.
Starting tomorrow, both sides will bargain “every day – morning, afternoon, evenings, right into the night if need be right up to the deadline,” he explained.
Dalton said the goal is to work through “all our non-monetary issues (first) and, hopefully, move into monetary issues as the deadline approaches and hopefully get an agreement before the deadline.”
The union rep said he was pleased with turnout Saturday. Having 820 members of “a little over” 1,400 come out “on a Saturday, off-site, basically on their own time .. shows this was very, very important to them.”
