Great Canadian Gaming Corp. must sign new union deal by July 22 or Ontario casino employees will strike

Great Canadian Gaming Corp. has yet to reach a new agreement deal with unionized casino workers. Employees are ready to strike if a new deal is not reached by this Friday. Over 2,000 union members agreed that a strike should take place if an agreement is not made. This affects eight casinos in Ontario.

Until Midnight

The company has until midnight on Friday to cut a deal. Unifor employees would like to see wages and benefits discussed along with slot games, security, cashiering, and table game staff pensions. The goal of the union is to see employees taken care of with an increase in good, stable jobs via the company by changing part-time or casual positions into full-time work.

The Local 1090 represents employees from several casinos in Ontario. A total of 1,500 employees would be affected by the strike, working within the Casino Ajax facility, Casino Woodbine, Great Blue Heron Casino, Pickering Casino Resort, Shorelines Casino Peterborough, and Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands.

Different sections of the union represent a smaller group of employees. Elements Casino Mohawk security workers are part of Local 252, while Elements Casino Brantford employees are represented by Local 504.

The Local 504 also covers employees of Elements Casino Mohawk and Elements Casino Flamboro. The agreements of these venues will expire this fall and next spring. The company may be in a similar situation in the future if new deals are not signed for these casinos later in the year.

Share the Wealth

Union members were affected by casino closures and restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, just as Great Canadian Gaming Corp. Now that the company has bounced back, employees want to be on the receiving end of the gains.

Unifor national secretary-treasurer Lana Payne pointed out that it is the workers who make the casinos successful, and they should be able to share in the gains. Local 1090 president, Corey Dalton, stated that good wages and benefits lead to job satisfaction which is good for business.

Great Canadian has been in business since 1982 and offers casino gaming across several provinces, including Ontario, Nova Scotia, and British Columbia. Apollo Global Management acquired the company in late 2021.

With 25 properties in total located in Canada, the strike at eight would be a blow to the company. It would not be surprising to see some sort of deal is made leading up to the deadline. Great Canadian Gaming has yet to comment on the pending strike, including if plans are in place to sign a new union deal.