Contract discussions between Caesars Windsor Casino and Unifor Local 444 have officially begun on Friday, February 18, 2022. The union represents over 2,200 workers from the casino property, around half of which are still laid off due to the health and safety restrictions in the province. Both parties expect the negotiations to be extremely difficult.
Most recently, the Province of Ontario announced that it will be removing some of its health and safety restrictions for indoor settings, with casinos being one of them. In addition to that, it would allow companies to determine whether to require proof of vaccination upon entry for patrons. However, Caesars Entertainment, believes there is a long way to go before returning to normality.
Negotiations in Progress
Regional President for Caesars Entertainment, Kevin Laforet stated that Caesars Windsor Casino had lost millions of dollars due to the previous closures, as he expects tedious negotiations for the new contracts. However, he noted that the gaming company and the union enjoy a good working relationship, which is a good sign that they come into an agreement.
At a press conference on Friday, Mr. Laforet and Unifor Local 444’s President Dave Cassidy both spoke on the matter. Mr. Cassidy claimed that despite the difficult financial situation, the union is not hesitant to seek improvements for its members. In his words, they are always looking to improve wages, benefits, pensions, and basically everything.
Previously, the union has met with a conciliator and filed a no-board report, so that the union can be in a legal strike position, when the current contract expires on April 1, 2022. This would also allow the casino to lock workers out. The Unifor President said that no one wants to go a strike and that their bargaining team is going to work out a fair and equitable deal for everyone.
Mr. Laforet said that relaxing health restrictions from February 28 will certainly help the gaming property recover, but it will be a slow process. He also indicated that it will be a difficult set of negotiations but he is hopeful that both negotiating teams will be able to strike a suitable deal for both parties. And lastly, he shared that the casino is now working in full patrons’ volume.
A Threat for Land-Based Casinos
However, despite the lift of restrictions, there still might be some bad news on the horizon for Caesars Windsor Casino, as Ontario launches its open iGaming market this April. According to a report by HLT Advisory Inc., around 100 of the 500 gaming-related jobs at the gaming property could be at risk, since more and more people would transfer to online gambling.
Revenue Could Be Hurt Too
In addition to costing jobs, the introduction of the new private market in Ontario could also hurt municipalities and the revenue they receive for hosting the casinos. For example, for the third quarter of last year, the City of Windsor received CA$2,158,545 for hosting Caesars Windsor. The money, however, could drastically decrease with the new iGaming regime, says the study.
Source: Molnar, Dale “Unifor and Caesars Windsor begin contract negotiations”, CBC News, February 18, 2022
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