QUE -Which party do you think had the most powerand has the most public support in Caesar's CasinoLabour Dispute. Briefly Explain

BELOW IS THE CASE STUDY FROM WHERE NEED TO FIND ANSWER

BACKGROUND OF CAESARS WINDORS CASINO LABOURDISPUTE

Caesars Windsor in Windsor, Ontario, Canada is one of fourcasinos in the Detroit–Windsor area and was opened in 1994 on thewaterfront of the Detroit River. Owned by the government of theprovince of Ontario (through the Ontario Lottery and GamingCorporation), it is operated by Caesars Entertainment. Both theoriginal Casino Windsor and 2008 expansion were designed by WZMHArchitects. The casino overlooks the Detroit skyline from thewaterfront and is near the Canadian end of the Detroit-WindsorTunnel. The creation of this casino was a leading factor in theMichigan legislature authorizing the legalization of casinogambling in Detroit in the early 21st century. The "Forum" hoteltower stands at 23 stories tall and opened in 1998. The "Augustus"tower stands at 27 stories and opened in 2008. Caesars Windsorattracts about six million visitors annually, from Ontario, Canadaand Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,and other states in theMidwestern United States. Since 1999, its main 2 competitors arethe American MGM Grand Detroit, Motor City Casino, and GreektownCasino-Hotel located across the river in Detroit.

Management: The Casino is publicly owned by the Ontario Lotteryand Gaming Corporation; a large portion of the profits are returnedto the provincial government. In December 2006, Harrah's announcedthat it would change the name of the casino to Caesars Windsor. Atthe same time, the operators began construction of a new 27-storyhotel (the "Augustus Tower". It opened in 2008 and provides a5,000-seat entertainment centre, and 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2)of convention space. The operators intended to make the casino moreattractive to U.S. gamblers. Its customer base declined followingincreased border security by the US, a reduction in the exchangerate gap between Canadian and US currencies, a labour strike thatclosed the casino for a month in 2004, and the increasingpopularity of the three Detroit properties. The changes in theearly 2000s were an effort to make Caesars Windsor a destinationresort for tourists, and to reward clients of the Caesars brand, ahigh-end name in gaming. Caesars Windsor reopened on June 19, 2008,and featured American musician Billy Joel, who performed at therelaunch ceremonies to an invitation-only crowd. The hoteleffectively closed on April 6, 2018, due to ongoing workers'strikes. These had resulted in reservation and concertcancellations. The strike concluded with a ratification vote onJune 4, 2018. Caesars Windsor re-opened on June 7, 2018.

Business climate: In the late 1990s, the US-Canadian currencyexchange rate had given people from the United States an economicincentive to gamble at Caesars Windsor. Numerous U.S. gamblerscrossed the border in Casino Windsor's boom years of the late1990s. The Canadian dollar was trading below the sixty-five-centmark compared to the U.S. dollar in the late 1990s. US visitors hadincentive to gamble in Windsor, as well as spend in the city'shotels and hospitality establishments. The rebounding of theCanadian dollar, which broke the ninety-cent mark in 2006, has beenlinked to the higher price of oil, since Canada is an oil exportingnation. It negatively affected the casino and the Windsor touristtrade. But, because the Canadian government does not tax gamblingwinnings, the casino has promoted this to attract clientele fromthe United States. In 2007, the Canadian dollar eclipsed andexceeded the U.S. dollar by several cents, which contributed to thedecline of the Windsor, Ontario hospitality sector. In addition,the casino must compete with three Detroit casino resorts, whichopened across the river in 1999.The positive exchange rate forCanadians in the US has drawn them across the border to shop andgamble.

Unifor looks to regroup Tuesday, to end longest strikeever at Caesars Windsor

Sharon Hill, Windsor Star, May 19, 2018

https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/strike-at-caesars-windsor-now-its-longest-labour-disruption

Unifor Local 444 will regroup Tuesday and look for ways toend what has become the longest strike in Caesars Windsor’shistory. “I’m calling everybody I know I can call. I will get intouch with everybody that will answer my phone call, Vegas towhoever to try to get them back to the table and have somediscussion,” Unifor Local 444 President Dave Cassidy said Monday.Cassidy walked around the casino property and talked with unionmembers on the picket line Monday morning, which was the 46th dayof the strike. On Friday casino workers turned down a secondtentative contract with a 53 per cent majority. Caesars Windsor’s2,300 unionized employees had turned down the first tentativecontract April 6. Friday’s proposed contract would have increasedthe signing bonuses for full-time workers by $450, to $1,600, andfor part-timers by $300, to $1,200. The union was recommending thefour-year deal that would have meant an overall raise of $2.25 perhour over the four years. The previous longest strike went 41 daysin 2004. The workers settled in mid-May 2004 after rejecting atentative deal earlier which had been endorsed by the union. Thecollective agreement in 2004 included a letter on improvingmanagement-employee relations. Cassidy, who was visibly upset whenthe tentative agreement recommended by the union was turned downFriday, said Monday he plans to meet with the bargaining committeealong with the elected workplace representatives Tuesday, andregroup. There are multiple issues that are still outstanding, hesaid. “We’re there for the membership. The membership has theultimate say. We’ll figure out one way or another how to getthrough this. We’re going to get through it,” he said Monday.

The continuance of the strike doesn’t mean the city will loseCanada’s largest automotive conference, with 500 to 600 people whoare coming in early June. “We are monitoring what’s happening,”Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’Association, said Saturday. “We’re probably going to have to makethe decision fairly soon but we’re 100 per cent committed toWindsor and June 6. ”The Auto Parts Manufacturers’ Association isplanning to hold its annual conference and trade show June 6 withsome meetings on June 5 at Caesars Windsor but has a backup plan inthe city, Volpe said. If the strike continues, participants whocome from across Canada and around the world will be told how tomake alternate arrangements. He said organizers will probably haveto make a decision this week because exhibitors will need to knowwhere to send their displays. This year’s strike is the fourthstrike in 23 years at the casino. The unionized workers have saidrespect and fairness are among the issues. Unifor nationalpresident Jerry Dias came to Windsor for a rally April 22 and saidthe dispute was about a lack of respect, disputes over scheduling,too many part-time workers who don’t get benefits and minimum wageworkers in an industry that makes millions of dollars a year. Oneworker on the picket line who didn’t want to be named Monday forfear of retaliation from management said he wishes the variousemployee groups, from security to hotel workers, had more time toconsider the details of the agreement before voting Friday. He saidworkers acted on emotions and many people were angry about thefourth year added to the contract. He also wanted language toaddress scheduling and vacation time based on seniority.

Provincial mediator to speak with both sides in CaesarsWindsor strike

https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/provincial-mediator-to-speak-with-both-sides-in-caesars-windsor-strike

Dalson Chen, Windsor Star, May 30, 2018

The ongoing impasse between Caesars Windsor and its strikingworkers will soon have more involvement of a third party: Aprovincial Mediator.

The mediator is set to meet with both sides in the dispute onWednesday for what Unifor Local 444 Dave Cassidy described as“exploratory discussions.” “It will be the casino in one room, andus (the union) in another room,” Cassidy said on Tuesday. “We arenot back to the bargaining table. I want to be very clear ... Themediator will help us have some discussion to see if we can getback to the bargaining table. It’s a step in the right direction.”Wednesday will mark the 55th day of the strike by an estimated2,300 employees of Caesars Windsor. The casino resort has beenclosed for the entirety of that time. It’s the longest labourdisruption in the history of Caesars Windsor. When the strike beganon April 6, those walking the picket lines needed winter clothingand warming measures to deal with the cold weather. Now themembership is trying to stay cool and hydrated in the midst ofsummer heat and humidity. Cassidy said the mood remains upbeat, andthe union will continue to support the striking workers withwhatever they need —water, coffee, food, etc. “People are fine.Nothing’s changed,” Cassidy insisted.

The membership has twice rejected tentative agreements reachedbetween the company and the union’s bargaining team. The situationhas led some in the community to suggest that neither CaesarsWindsor management nor Unifor Local 444 is in tune with thestriking workers. But Cassidy denied the suggestion. “People aregoing to say what they need to say. I can’t tell people what theybelieve or what they feel. I know I have an obligation to mymembership. My membership has told me very clearly what they need.”“I am not out of touch with the membership.” As for the possibilityof the strike extending into the summer, Cassidy replied: “Thatwould be speculation.” “The fact of the matter is that the mediatorwill be coming in tomorrow (Wednesday) for exploratory discussions,and we’ll go from there. We’ll see where that leads us.” Over thecourse of the strike, Caesars Windsor management has cancelledhotel bookings up until and including June 16 and postponed atleast 12 shows at the Colosseum. Before the strike, Caesars Windsorhad intended its 2018 concert roster to be a celebration of thecasino resort’s 10th anniversary under the Caesars Windsorbrand.

Strike over: Caesars Windsor workers agree to newcontract, casino to re-open Thursdayhttps://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/caesars-windsor-workers-to-vote-on-tentative-agreement-for-a-third-time

Dalson Chen, Trevor Wilhelm, Windsor Star, June 5, 2018

It took 60 days of striking and three attempts at a deal, butthe longest labour dispute in Caesars Windsor history is finallyover. Represented by Unifor Local 444, almost 2,000 employees ofthe casino resort ratified their latest agreement on Monday. Thevote was 75 per cent in favour. “It was tough,” said a relievedDave Cassidy, president of Local 444. “This was probably thetoughest set of bargaining I’ve been in. “This is a landmark in thecity of Windsor. Could anybody imagine what we would be likewithout Caesars Windsor, or a casino in Windsor?” Shortlyafter the ratification, Caesars Windsor management issued astatement expressing happiness at the resolution and announcingthat the property would be ready for customers on Thursday at 11a.m. “Amenities including all restaurants and the box officewill resume their regular business hours upon re-opening,” thecompany said. Casino management did not respond to a requestfor further comment. Additionally, Caesars Windsor announcednew show dates for five more concerts that had been postponed dueto the strike —including multi-platinum rapper Pitbull.

The workers have been on strike since April 6. Past tentativeagreements have been voted down by majorities of 59 per cent and 53percent. The agreement that succeeded on Monday is a three-yeardeal, rather than a four-year deal like the one that was rejectedlast time. “We missed the mark (last time),” Cassidy said. “Once weannounced that it was a four-year deal at the last one, we lost thecrowd.” In monetary terms, the new deal is not greatly differentfrom past offers. There is a cumulative general wage increase of$1.75 after three years —the same as the last deal contained at thethree-year mark. The schedule of the wage increases has changedslightly: $0.75 in the first year, $0.75 in the second year, and$0.25 in the third year. Signing bonuses remain unchanged: $1,600for full-time employees, $1,200 for part-time employees, and $675for casual employees. There have been improvements in jobsecurity. According to Local 444, Caesars Windsor has assured thatthere are no plans to close any existing food service outlet and nodepartment will be eliminated or outsourced for the duration of theagreement (April 4, 2018 to April 3, 2021). “We were able tomaintain everything we had,” Cassidy said. “We made some slightchanges to the long-term disability plan, but not to negativelyaffect any member.” “We moved things around, and we got sometighter language on things that we needed.”

Caesars Windsor workers end two-month strikehttps://www.unifor.org/en/whats-new/press-room/caesars-windsor-workers-end-two-month-strike.

Daniel Tseghay,

After 60 days on the picket line, Unifor hospitality and gamingworkers at Caesars Windsor, members of Local 444, have voted toaccept a new three-year collective agreement. “Our entire union isproud of these workers for standing their ground until the employercame to the realization that the work, they do for Caesars deservesrecognition and respect,” said Unifor National President JerryDias. “I want to applaud and thank the membership and thebargaining committee for their ongoing efforts to reach a deal atthe bargaining table.” On Monday, the Unifor members, which includedealers, cooks, housekeepers, and janitors, ended a strike thatbegan on April 6 with a ratification vote of 75 per cent. The newagreement for the 2,300 workers was reached shortly after Dias wasin Windsor last week to sit in on 'exploratory' meetings with theemployer. It includes a strengthening of language aroundoutsourcing and a wage increase which now makes Caesars Windsorworkers some of the highest paid in the gaming industry. “Everyday, walking the line our members showed great strength, and withthe solidarity of our union we not only held the line but madegains in wages and improvements to working conditions,” said DaveCassidy, President of Local 444. “It was a long road to get herebut with perseverance we did it.” Along with acknowledging thesupport of Unifor and other Windsor trade unions, Local 444recognized the important solidarity that members of the communityshowed to the striking workers. On a daily basis, Caesars Windsorworkers were joined by members of the community to show theirsupport for decent work.