Summary:
Security workers at Casino Nova Scotia have formed a picket line in order to disrupt the game on Thursday. The workers claim that they were laid off without notice and that they don’t know when they will be able to return to work. While some of their coworkers returned to work, they were not recalled once the sector started to recover.
The staff of Casino Nova Scotia have formed a picket line in order to disrupt the Cape Breton Eagles game on Thursday. The security workers are unhappy with their employer and hope that the protest will influence the operator to allow them to return to work.
Protestors claim that when the casino shut down operations at the start of the unprecedented situation in early 2020, they were laid off without notice or information as to when they could get back to work. While some of their coworkers returned to work and the company even signed some new faces, they were not recalled after the sector started to recover.
Drastic measures are being taken
The 11 workers are assisted by the United Food and Commercial Workers union, despite not being officially represented. Mark Dobson commented that the union is trying to help the staff in their attempts to get their jobs back. He described the employer as a bully who can get away with anything until he is pushed to change his ways.
In a handout, the security members state that the employer kept them in the dark for over two years, while also reassuring them that they will be able to return to work. The operator suspended their medical benefits in December of 2021, which caused some major difficulties for them and their families.
The workers can eat at the casino restaurant and get employee discounts, even though they can’t access their personal lockers, as they have been prohibited from doing so. The situation is confusing since there are measures and processes that need to be followed if the relationship is over.
The company’s response was via the Executive VP, stakeholder engagement and community and social responsibility. The operator regrets that some of the team members at the casino weren’t able to return to work because of the circumstances. The company is trying to arrange a separation agreement with their lawyers, according to him.
The first staff that has been unionized
In the summer of 2022, a group of workers from Casino Nova Scotia Sydney became the first ones to be unionized. The Service Employees International Union Local 2 is not represented by them. The only casino workers in Atlantic Canada that are represented by a union are the staff at Casino Nova Scotia Halifax.
The casino property in Cape Breton has gone through two closings and two reopenings in the last two years. The casino has remained open since June of 2021. Work was recommenced under limited capacity and strict health protocols. The property is back to normal operations now that those are gone.
Macinnis, Steve, “Cape Breton casino workers to hold information picket” SaltWire, November 24, 2022,