About 900 casino workers walk off the job in Ajax and Pickering
Unifor Local 1090 members went on strike after talks with Great Canadian Entertainment broke down. Both casinos stayed open.
Roughly 900 workers at two casinos east of Toronto went on strike early Friday after contract talks with their employer broke down.
Unifor Local 1090 said its members at Ajax Casino and Pickering Casino Resort began strike action at 12:01 a.m. The Canadian Press put the number of strikers at more than 900, while the union's own release said nearly 900 gaming workers were affected. A small number of workers were seen picketing outside the casinos later that day.
The local represents what Unifor calls a wall-to-wall unit at both properties. It covers gaming floor and cash cage workers, dealers, slot technicians and attendants, food and beverage staff, cooks and dishwashers, housekeeping, bus drivers, and shipping and receiving staff. The main issues are wages and working conditions.
Union says workers want fairness
Unifor national president Lana Payne said the members had made it clear they were ready to walk the picket line to secure a fair deal. She said the workers "kept the resort running through difficult years" and were asking only for fair wages and job security.
The union said Local 1090 president Greg Weaver would speak to media at the picket line at an entrance to Pickering Casino Resort on Durham Live Avenue later Friday morning.
Casinos remain open
Both casinos stayed open during the walkout. A notice posted on the two casinos' websites Friday morning said guests could face delays getting into the properties.
Great Canadian Entertainment, which runs both sites, told CTV News Toronto it would keep negotiating with Unifor to get its employees back to work as soon as possible.
Ajax Casino and Pickering Casino Resort are both in Durham Region. Ajax Casino sits at the Ajax Downs racetrack, and Pickering Casino Resort is part of the Durham Live entertainment development in Pickering.