Striking Caesars Windsor workers are getting support from far and wide.
A huge crowd gathered near the shuttered casino Sunday for a rally in solidarity with the 2,300 employees who walked off the job over two weeks ago.
Unifor national president Jerry Dias was among those expected to address the crowd.
The workers are represented by Unifor Local 444. They have been off the job after rejecting a tentative contract agreement on April 5. As a result, Caesars Windsor has closed the casino, cancelled reservations for hotel guests and cancelled shows in its Colosseum concert venue through the month of April.
The employees include dealers, housekeepers, cooks, servers and janitors.
The two sides met briefly last week but talks broke off almost right away. Local 444 president James Stewart previously told BlackburnNewsWindsor.com that they were ready to bargain but casino management was not interested in what was presented.
“We told Caesars specifically that we are available to meet, that we are willing to meet and they said until you come back with something different we’re not interested,” said Stewart. “I don’t think the ball is in our court. I think we presented something to them and they’ve done nothing in return.”
In a statement, Caesars Windsor says the two sides did meet but they were unable to complete a framework for a deal.
---with files from Adelle Loiselle---
