The strike at Caesars Windsor, which has closed the casino since early April, will continue after more than half of the employees on Friday voted down the latest deal.
The tentative agreement was rejected by 53 per cent of the strikers in a ratification vote at the WFCU Centre, Dalson Chen and Dave Battagello of The Windsor Star report.
More than 2,000 workers represented by Unifor Local 444 attended the meeting to hear details of the new offer, which one member said included a $2.25 per hour raise over the next four years, the Star reports.
Dave Cassidy, president of Local 444, voices surprise at Friday’s result and says and he doesn’t know what happens now.
Kevin Laforet, regional president of Caesars Entertainment, issues a statement:
"This is unfortunate. We are incredibly disappointed in the outcome of today’s vote which was fully endorsed by both the Unifor National and Local 444 Bargaining teams. The agreement is more than fair and sustainable. I personally want to apologize for the continued inconvenience this causes our customers. The long term effect on our business goes well beyond revenue loss and is immeasurable.”
He said there are no current plans to return to the bargaining table.
The closure of Caesars Windsor has been good for other local area casinos.
