As a daughter of a casino worker, this concerns me and my family more than I imagined possible. 45 workers: 3 pit managers and 42 table games supervisors were let go last week from the Niagara Casinos as a way to deal with "a consistent overstaffing situation." These people came into work one morning, or night (as it usually happens at the casino that you work the most ridiculous shifts ever) to find that they no longer had a job. This included those workers who had been there since day one, who had worked for the Casinos for 12 years since the first casino's opening, fired - just like that.
President Art Frank gave his regrets, but also mentioned that management's commitment "must always be to the health of the business." It should be noted that both Casino Niagara and the Fallsview Casino are government owned by the province of Ontario. However, the provincial government has done little in terms of managing the casinos, they are managed by a private company, Niagara Casinos.
While the Niagara Casinos praise themselves on providing full-time employment to the residents of Niagara Falls, full-time employees have been declining in numbers. Just last year, there was a buy-out offer to those working full-time to resign and come back to work as contract workers. Working as contract worker last summer at Fallsview Casino, I got to know first hand the benefits of working under a contract - none. You receive no benefits, your contract is guaranteed no longer than 3 months time, in which they can let you go if you're not fit to their standards, and you get the worst shifts possible, working 7am-4pm the one day, then 9pm-4am the next. Adjusting to business needs, the everyday lives of people and their families are placed at the bottom of the list.
This brings up the issue of labour unions. The CAW has been trying to organize table-games workers for years now, with no success. They came close early this year, but was disappointed when they had to withdraw the application from the Ontario Labour Relations Board after "an issue with the number of employees the union thought were eligible compared to the number of employees casino management tallied up." The casinos claimed that there were about 1,000 more than the 2,700 workers that the CAW accounted for. The casinos also wanted to include the 270 supervisors to prevent the vote from happening.
The 280 security workers at the casinos are members of Local 278 at the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and voted for a strike in April due to wage increases. Unions may be an option for table-games workers at both casinos. Although staff cuts have been happening throughout other casinos, such as the Caeasars Windsor, at least the collective agreements determine who loses their job, and who keeps it. I don't know about you, but I know I would rather know my place and seniority in the workplace, rather than have my job taken away, with no legitimate reasoning the next time I go into work.
http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2150769&auth=Corey%20Larocque
http://www.nupge.ca/node/2214
http://accessniagara.com/blog/2009/02/06/caw-won%E2%80%99t-give-up-on-casino-vote/
President Art Frank gave his regrets, but also mentioned that management's commitment "must always be to the health of the business." It should be noted that both Casino Niagara and the Fallsview Casino are government owned by the province of Ontario. However, the provincial government has done little in terms of managing the casinos, they are managed by a private company, Niagara Casinos.
While the Niagara Casinos praise themselves on providing full-time employment to the residents of Niagara Falls, full-time employees have been declining in numbers. Just last year, there was a buy-out offer to those working full-time to resign and come back to work as contract workers. Working as contract worker last summer at Fallsview Casino, I got to know first hand the benefits of working under a contract - none. You receive no benefits, your contract is guaranteed no longer than 3 months time, in which they can let you go if you're not fit to their standards, and you get the worst shifts possible, working 7am-4pm the one day, then 9pm-4am the next. Adjusting to business needs, the everyday lives of people and their families are placed at the bottom of the list.
This brings up the issue of labour unions. The CAW has been trying to organize table-games workers for years now, with no success. They came close early this year, but was disappointed when they had to withdraw the application from the Ontario Labour Relations Board after "an issue with the number of employees the union thought were eligible compared to the number of employees casino management tallied up." The casinos claimed that there were about 1,000 more than the 2,700 workers that the CAW accounted for. The casinos also wanted to include the 270 supervisors to prevent the vote from happening.
The 280 security workers at the casinos are members of Local 278 at the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and voted for a strike in April due to wage increases. Unions may be an option for table-games workers at both casinos. Although staff cuts have been happening throughout other casinos, such as the Caeasars Windsor, at least the collective agreements determine who loses their job, and who keeps it. I don't know about you, but I know I would rather know my place and seniority in the workplace, rather than have my job taken away, with no legitimate reasoning the next time I go into work.
http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2150769&auth=Corey%20Larocque
http://www.nupge.ca/node/2214
http://accessniagara.com/blog/2009/02/06/caw-won%E2%80%99t-give-up-on-casino-vote/
I agree with you that the job cuts were way out of left field. Especially for the employees that have been there for so long. It seems that they are trying to get rid of the old employees who believe that they deserve benefits which will enable them not to go into a unionized workplace. I strongly believe that the employees deserve benefits especially with the hours that they have to put up with. It is not fair for them and their families.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that every job now is being relegated to "contract" or "temp" work. . . It's sad because these jobs do nothing for long term stability.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people these days give unions flack, but they have and still can do good. . . this is a perfect example of how they could help. If a business is struggling and they need to get rid of employees, then that's to be expected. . . but the employees should at least have the right to some warning or some protection. It is a dirty practice of too many non-unionized establishments to cut out higher seniority members in favour of new employees whom they can pay a fraction of the wages to keep on.