Casino Rama workers vote to strike if necessary

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January 15, 2019

ORILLIA—Casino Rama’s refusal to meet provincial norms has forced members of Unifor Local 1090 to vote overwhelmingly in favour of a strike if a fair collective agreement cannot be negotiated by the end of the month.

“Unifor members are pivotal to the success of Casino Rama,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “They deserve a fair collective agreement and are prepared to escalate job action to get it.”

Unifor says the Casino’s workers are among lowest paid in Ontario, and the employer’s current scheduling practices make it almost impossible to achieve a reasonable work-life balance.

“Unifor members at Casino Rama have a great relationship with customers and take pride in their work,” said Steve Batchelor, Unifor National Representative for Rama. “It would be unfortunate if Casino Rama triggered a disruption for customers.”

Local 1090 is also seeking to strengthen benefits and the pension plan.

Almost 1,500 workers at Rama including dealers, cashiers, slot workers, food and beverage staff, environmental services, finance, hotel, valet, entertainment and other staff, voted to join Unifor in 2015 and achieved their first collective agreement in 2016.

They join more than 19,000 hospitality and gaming workers, including more than 9,000 at casinos. Unifor represents workers at Caesars Windsor, Great Blue Heron Gaming, and other gaming sites across Canada.

For more information, please contact Unifor Communications Representative Ian Boyko at @email or 778-903-6549 (cell).

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