Share
Unifor stands in solidarity with PSAC as member
Deb Tveit, Assistant to the Unifor National President, addressed the crowd calling on Premier Wynne to treat the workers fairly and tell the OLG to end the lockout and resume negotiations.
The week before Christmas management at the Rideau Carleton Raceway Slots (RCRS) locked out 124 PSAC members after their bargaining team refused to accept a new contract that would freeze wages for two years. This despite the fact that the workers haven’t received a raise since 2009 AND the OLG has a projected profit of $2 billion dollars for the last fiscal year. Giving the 124 locked out workers a 3 per cent raise for the first year of the contract would amount to about 0.16 per cent of total annual revenue generated on-site at the Rideau Carleton Raceway Slots.
The OLG offer also removed existing pension language from the current collective agreement. The RCRS is operated by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), which is wholly owned by the Government of Ontario. While the Wynne government works to create the new Ontario Retirement Pension Plan, and publicly calls for an enhanced Canada Pension Plan, they are allowing one of their own crown corporations to force workers into giving up their long-standing pensions.
In addition, OLG has posted eleven 4-month term positions with descriptions that cover the responsibilities of locked out workers. PSAC has filed an unfair labour practice complaint in response to this apparent attempt to hire scab workers.
Support the locked out workers by:
Tweet at @Kathleen_Wynne & @OntarioLottery and tell them to treat the workers fairly.
Sample tweet:
Hey @Kathleen_Wynne, end @OntarioLottery lockout now! Give workers a raise and don't take away their pension! #onpoli #canlab #playfair
