Caesars and Unifor are headed back to the bargaining table

Caesars and Unifor Local 444 are headed back to the bargaining table. The union made the announcement on social media Saturday morning. This comes after "exploratory discussions" with a mediator between casino management and union leaders.

Unifor National's president is confident that his bargaining teams and union leaders will reach an agreement that will end the ongoing casino strike — without a third party.

"We're going to find the deal at the bargaining table," said Jerry Dias, who was in Windsor, Ont for 'exploratory' talks between Caesars Windsor management and the union.

"A third party may help but I don't think it's going to make a difference. If we can't find a solution then nobody will."

Dias came to the table this week along with Caesars Windsor regional president, Kevin Laforet, for discussions with a mediator, but these are not official bargaining talks. 

Unifor Local 444 president Dave Cassidy said the talks would look at what "the hangup is" between the two sides. The union group representing 2,300 casino employees is also holding round-table discussions for members to understand what it is they all want. 

"Its gone on far too long, our members would like to go back to work but they're not going to go back to work until there's an agreement that makes sense," said Dias. 

"People are frustrated and justifiably so. The workers wages have been suppressed for a long time based on the economic conditions of Canada."

Dias said he planned to talk with the OLG on Friday, and that Unifor is "speaking to everybody ... doing everything we can to try to find a solution."

He said the idea of bringing in an arbitrator has "floated" around, but he says "we're not there."

Advice from a union that's been there 

Lori Wightman was a spokesperson for CUPE when Essex County library workers walked off the job for about 230 days. 

Wightman said it "was probably the hardest thing" she has ever done.

She said the toughest part was walking the fine line between making sure the members are engaged and informed, and staying to the rules and regulations of negotiations. 

Her advice to Unifor is "to be aware of what your members are going through." 

And to Caesars employees, Wightman said this:

"Remember you are a team, you're in this together. Remember that you have to stay united." 

Employees walked off the job on April 6, citing wages and respect in the workplace as their biggest issues.