Members of Unifor Local 444 work a picket line outside the Chatham St entrance to Caesars Windsor, April 6, 2018. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.Members of Unifor Local 444 work a picket line outside the Chatham St entrance to Caesars Windsor, April 6, 2018. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.
Windsor

Strike Continues After Talks Break Down

The strike at Caesars Windsor continues after both sides met Wednesday for the first time since a tentative agreement was reached on April 4, 2018.

Unifor Local 444 President James Stewart says they went to the meeting with a new package for the company to review.

"After a couple hours they came back and said they are not interested in anything that we presented," says Stewart. "They didn't even offer a counter to anything that we had proposed so I didn't see any intent from them at all to bargain today."

Caesars Windsor released the following statement after the groups met Wednesday morning.

"Caesars Windsor remains disappointed that a tentative agreement, which was endorsed by the Union Bargaining Committee, was not ratified," the statement says. "Today the groups met to discuss the issues but we were unable to reach a framework for an agreement. Unfortunately, the labour disruption continues and we remain closed."

There are no future talks scheduled. Stewart says in his mind the ball is in Caesars Windsor's court to come back with a new proposal.

"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," says 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."

Unifor Local 444 has a rally scheduled for Sunday, April 22, 2018, at the Riverfront Festival Plaza to support the employees on strike. Unifor National President Jerry Dias is expected to be in attendance.

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