After 60 days on the picket line, hospitality and gaming workers at Caesars Windsor, members of trade union Unifor, have voted to accept a new three year collective agreement.
“Our entire union is proud of these workers for standing their ground until the employer came to the realisation that the work they do for Caesars deserves recognition and respect,” said Unifor national president Jerry Dias. “I want to applaud and thank the membership and the bargaining committee for their ongoing efforts to reach a deal at the bargaining table.”
On Monday, the Unifor members, which include dealers, cooks, housekeepers, and janitors, ended a strike that began on April 6 with a ratification vote of 75 per cent. The new agreement for the 2,300 workers was reached shortly after Dias was in Windsor last week to sit in on "exploratory" meetings with the employer. It includes a strengthening of language around outsourcing and a wage increase which now makes Caesars Windsor workers some of the highest paid in the gaming industry.
The workers are members of local union Local 444.
“Every day, walking the line, our members showed great strength and, with the solidarity of our union, we not only held the line but made gains in wages and improvements to working conditions,” said Dave Cassidy, president of Local 444. “It was a long road to get here but, with perseverance, we did it.”
