The president of Unifor Local 444 thinks its clear what Caesars Windsor is doing.
It reminds James Stewart of the last strike in 2004 when members walked the picket line for six weeks.
"Honestly, I think this is a cruel tactic," he says. "They are going to leave our members out and starve them out."
The strike enters its fourth week Thursday, and no new talks are planned.
On Tuesday, the casino posted a message on its website saying it had postponed all events and cancelled hotel bookings until May 19. Previously, Caesars Windsor had shut down for April.
Caesars said it was making a move to notify customers so they could make other arrangements, but Stewart does not buy it. After casino management rejected an offer from the union on April 18, and abruptly ended the first talks since the strike began, Stewart thinks their motives are laid bare.
While he insists members are still strong on the picket line, he can not deny an extended strike will hurt them financially.
"I can tell you we are setting up assistance for our members," he says. "We are making sure they have resources at hand to try and deal with financial hardship that may be brought upon them in the coming weeks."
Since the short encounter at the bargaining table, Stewart has repeatedly said the ball is in Caesars Windsor's court. That does not mean the union is standing idle.
"We are trying to push the government to get involved through the OLG [Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation]," Stewart explains. "We will be reaching out to the Mayor's Office to see what sway the mayor can have, but that hasn't happened yet. I haven't reached out to him [Drew Dilkens] yet."