"Casino workers buck odds" to join BCGEU

The two year struggle of Lower Mainland casino workers to join BCGEU is highlighted in a feature article in the online publication The Tyee.

The story chronicles how their employer-the Australian-owned Gateway Casino in Burnaby-has used the Campbell government's unfair labour laws to stall and delay at every turn to try and prevent casino staff from joining a union.

Click on the link below to read the article.

Gateway staff first approached BCGEU about joining in July 2006 to help them win higher wages and greater respect from their employer. At every turn since then casino management have pursued a prolonged and costly legal effort to try and prevent the workers from being able to become union members.

But a key group of casino staff-dealer and slot machine supervisors-finally got their vote counted earlier in July, and are now BCGEU members. Efforts are now underway to elect a supervisors' bargaining committee and begin negotiating a first contract with the company.

A bigger group of 225 dealers and slot machine attendants are hoping to overcome employer stalling tactics to finally get their vote counted. They cast ballots in October of 2007.

Check out The Tyee, a feisty B.C.-based daily online magazine at http://thetyee.ca/.

Click here to read The Tyee article.

Click here for PDF of alert.