What’s at stake with casino strike vote?

Dear editor: You may have heard recently about the union at Playtime Casino Kelowna voting for a strike and we wanted to share directly with you the facts.

First and foremost, we want our customers to know we are currently open for business as usual to offer our guests the very best gaming, dining and entertainment experience possible.

Second, we are very frustrated and disappointed that the union has taken a strike vote. The fact is we have made extensive efforts to meet with the union to get a deal for our employees for many months now.

The union refused to meet with us until early in 2018 and after several days of bargaining they walked away from the table after proposing a shocking 62 per cent average increase in wages with some positions increasing over 80 per cent, on top of significant increases to benefits.

These increases are in addition to the generous tips the majority of these unionized positions receive from customers.

As you might expect, proposing a 60 to 80 per cent wage increase is not reasonable for any business.

We want our employees and the community to be fully informed on what is at stake. Hard Rock Casino Coquitlam has been on strike since May 11 — several weeks later the parties are no closer to resolution.

Caesars Windsor employees went on strike for two months and achieved essentially the same deal that they rejected in April.

Given this, it is unfortunate that the union has been unwilling to be more reasonable.

The president of the union has claimed that casino service providers are making “billions of dollars.” This statement is false and does not consider that, according the BCLC Community Impact Report, $0.88 of every dollar played in B.C. goes back into the province and funds important services like health care and education.

In fact, Gateway has invested over $70 million and created more than 400 new jobs across the Thompson Okanagan to redevelop our properties. Gateway has also been an active corporate citizen in these communities for more than 20 years.

For example, when massive wildfires struck in July 2017, our casinos stayed open and provided hot meals. We served more than 9,300 meals to local residents and also donated over $10,000 to the fire relief efforts through GatewayGives, our community and charitable program.

We know that a strike will be harmful to our employees and our customers — therefore, Gateway is serious about getting an agreement and have applied for mediation and we are hopeful that the union comes to mediation on June 15 with more reasonable expectations so that a resolution can be achieved.

In closing, we remain committed to having respectful discussions with the union to achieve a mutually agreeable contract that is reasonable and responsible for both our employees and Gateway.

However, regardless of the outcome, we will be open for business and hope you will come visit us soon.

Tanya Gabara on behalf of Gateway Casinos & Entertainment