Unifor and Caesars Windsor begin contract negotiations

Contract talks between Unifor Local 444 and Caesars Windsor kicked off Friday. The union represents about 2,200 workers at the casino, about half of which are still on layoff due to pandemic restrictions.

Kevin Laforet, regional president of Caesars Entertainment, said the casino has lost "10s of millions of dollars" due to pandemic closures so he said this round of talks will be "extremely challenging."

"To say the last two years were difficult would be a massive understatement," said Laforet, who would not say if the company is seeking concessions.

Laforet said, however, as a result of the pandemic the casino and the union have developed a good working relationship in lobbying government for supports for the industry and employees, for example, and says that bodes well for coming to an agreement.

Laforet and Dave Cassidy, president of Unifor Local 444, spoke at joint press conference on Friday morning.

Despite the hard times, Cassidy said the bargaining team isn't shying away from seeking improvements.

"We're always moving forward, whether it's wages, benefits, pensions everything's on the table," said Cassidy, adding that they were able to make gains for employees during the pandemic with Gateway Casinos when they were closed.

The union has already met with a conciliator and filed a no-board report so the union can be in a legal strike position when the current contract expires on April 1. The casino would also be in a legal position to lock the workers out.

• Caesars Windsor strike over after workers accept deal

A strike vote has yet to be taken but Cassidy is confident the membership will give the bargaining team a mandate. The last contract wasn't achieved without a strike that lasted 61 days in 2018.

"Let me be clear, nobody wants to go on strike. Our bargaining committee is going to sit down with their bargaining committee and we're going to hash out a deal that is fair and equitable for everybody," said Cassidy.

Laforet said the lifting of PCR testing restrictions to enter Canada as of Feb. 28 is helping the casino recover but he said it will be "a slow ramp up" in business considering only 60 per cent of Americans in Michigan are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

"It will be a challenging set of negotiations and I'm confident both bargaining teams will find a way to find a good result," said Laforet.

He said capacity limits for patrons is back to full on the gaming floor and restaurants but not the Colosseum.