Casino news source: Brantford Expositor - http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca
Casino workers accept contract offer
Expositor Staff
Local News - Monday, April 23, 2007 Updated @ 10:54:36 PM
Unionized casino workers voted overwhelmingly to accept a 14-month contract from the OLG Casino Brantford Saturday, voting 85 per cent in favour of the deal.
Monetary improvements for the 676 workers represented by Canadian Auto Workers Local 397 include a $1,000 bonus for full-time workers and a $500-to-$1,000 bonus for part-timers, depending on hours worked.
An across-the-board increase of 40 cents an hour was also established, effective April 1 of this year.
"Seniority was one of the biggest issues — and shifts," said Local 397 president Doug Aitchison. "We're still going to get together (with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming) to work out the shifts."
Other improvements were also added to dental, drug and vision care packages.
The union struck the deal with the casino late Wednesday night, just minutes before a strike deadline. The contract's short duration "came out of necessity," since it was not possible to resolve all the complex issues before the deadline, Aitchison said.
The new agreement, the first for the workers, expires June 1, 2008. |
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