Canadian Labour Reporter

2 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2018 Casino Ajax workers vote to strike AJAX, Ont. — On July 9, work- ers represented by Unifor, Lo- cal 1090 at Casino Ajax in Ajax, Ont., voted 99 per cent in favour of strike action if a fair settle- ment cannot be reached. "A strike is almost always a last resort, but Great Canadian Gaming has left us few options," said Roy McDonald, chairper- son of Local 1090's Ajax unit. "If the company makes serious of- fers that respect the work done by Unifor members, I'm confi- dent we can negotiate a new con- tract without an interruption in service to our valued customers." The union is seeking a com- mitment from Great Canadian Gaming that Unifor members at the Casino Ajax can transfer to the proposed Durham Live facility in Pickering, Ont., under their existing collective agree- ment. Local 1090 is also seek- ing fair compensation, as wages have only increased 1.75 per cent over the last eight years, said the union. Local 1090 and Casino Ajax will be bargaining simultane- ously with Great Blue Heron (Port Perry), Woodbine Secu- rity (Toronto), Elements Ca- sino Mohawk (Campbellville), and Elements Casino Brantford (Brantford). All of the facilities are represented by Unifor, with all collective agreements set to expire on July 23 at 12:01 a.m., said the union. Unifor, Local 1090 represents 225 members at Casino Ajax. Power Precast workers sign fi rst contract OTTAWA — New members of the United Steelworkers (USW) at an Ottawa-area manufactur- ing plant approved their first- ever contract that guarantees significant wage increases, ben- efits, seniority and improved hours of work. Workers at Power Precast joined USW in February and they now have a collective agree- ment with wage increases rang- ing from three per cent to 18 per cent, as of April 1, with the aver- age being a 7.3-per-cent wage increase, said USW. Workers will receive another three per cent increase in the second year of a two-year con- tract, according to the union. "This is a great step forward for workers in an industry that is vital to public and private infra- structure projects," said Marty Warren, USW Ontario Director. The agreement also guaran- tees a retirement plan, according to USW. Staff at Good Spirit School Division ratify new deal YORKTON, Sask. — The Ca- nadian Union of Public Employ- ees (CUPE), Local 4784 — repre- senting 270 education-support staff in Good Spirit School Divi- sion in Saskatchewan — voted to ratify a new three-year contract on June 27. "School divisions across Sas- katchewan have been put in a tough spot because of the lack of increased provincial education funding despite increased en- rollment," said Karla Sastaunik, CUPE local president. "Nonetheless, we were able to negotiate a reasonable agree- ment that includes wage in- creases for our members. We're pleased with that," said Sas- taunik. The agreement includes a 1.5-per-cent wage increase for 2018 and 2019 and a 1.75-per- cent increase for 2019 and 2020, said the union. Bargaining began in No- vember 2017 under the provin- cial government's attempted 3.5-per-cent public sector wage mandate drop, according to CUPE. LABOUR BRIEFS FORMERLY CLV REPORTS Serving labour relations professionals since 1956 www.labour-reporter.com Published weekly by omson Reuters Canada Ltd. 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If legal or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. e analysis contained herein represents the opinion of the authors and should in no way be construed as being either offi cial or unoffi cial policy of any governmental body. ISSN 0045-5113 Publications Registration 2089 Canadian Labour Reporter is part of the Canadian HR Reporter group of publications. Visit www.hrreporter.com for more information. Labour Reporter Canadian www.labour-reporter.com LABOUR LENS A dove is seen inside a empty classroom is seen at a public school during a national strike to demand better salaries in Buenos Aires, on July 3. Photo: REUTERS/Martin Acosta

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