A vice president with Great Canadian Gaming says protesting is understandable, but believes what happened this weekend at Shorelines Casino Belleville was “illegal.”
Chuck Keeling talked with Quinte News about the contract negotiations with Unifor.
He says they have been in discussions for months and this past Friday, 93 Unifor staff walked off the job.
Although he did not go into details of the negotiations, he did express concern about the picketing lines along Bell Boulevard.
He says on Saturday, vehicles and picketers would not allow customers/staff into the parking lot (via main entrance), calling it an “illegal blockade.”
Keeling says they are seeking an injunction, calling it unsafe.
People were parking at the adjacent hotel, across the road at the gas station, or even along nearby roadways.
As of Sunday, Keeling says vehicles were being allowed onto the casino property every ten minutes.
Currently management is operating the casino.
The strike began Friday after 84% of workers voted down an offer from the employer that would see wages increase but still leave them within 65 cents of minimum wage.
(Photo: Ryan Peddigrew/Quinte News)
