Casino workers stage protest with picket lines at Casino Woodbine

A protest action involving a picket line strike recently occurred at the Woodbine Great Canadian Gaming Corporation (GCGC) Casino on Friday, July 30. Previously, members of the Unifor Local 1090 union had also staged a strike at Pickering Casino Resort on July 23.

This happened after the failure of the previous negotiation process between Unifor and GCGC. The strike was carried out by making picket lines at the six entrances of the Woodbine Casino, which could indirectly hinder the access of human circulation into the building.

In connection with the protest, Lana Payne as secretary-treasurer of Unifor explained that its members who work at the Pickering Casino and several other properties are fighting for equal pay.

“These workers are seeking justice and Unifor will join them in that struggle,” he remarked.

The workers are fighting for wage increases as well as demanding to reduce the dependence of employers on part-time workers. According to them, it is capable of jeopardizing employees’ rights.

Meanwhile, Corey Dalton as president of Unifor assessed that GCGC could easily provide Pickering workers wages equivalent to what they paid for Woodbine workers.

“Until the gap is reduced, it will not be business as usual for the GCGC,” Dalton said.

Unifor is Canada’s largest trade union in the private sector and the organization represents 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy.

Meanwhile, in this strike, Unifor 1090 represents around 1,500 workers working in six GCGC property companies which include Great Blue Heron Casino, Casino Woodbine, Pickering Casino Resort, Casino Ajax, Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands, and Shorelines Casino Peterborough.

This organization’s core mission is to campaign for the voices of all workers, including their rights. The organization also works for equality and social justice in and outside of Canada. They also attempt to influence progressive change for the betterment of economic stakeholders’ future.