Instead of being open for business 24/7, the slot-machine gaming area at Rideau Carleton Raceway will only be open from noon until midnight due to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. having locked out 124 workers.
According to a report by the CBC, stalled contract negotiations between the OLG and some Public Service Alliance of Canada workers is the culprit. The previous agreement between the two sides expired almost two years ago.
OLG spokesman Tony Bitonti has said that the contract that the lottery corporation is offering is consistent with other Ontario casino’s collective agreements, according to the article. He was quoted as saying that the OLG "had no intention of locking out employees before or during the Christmas season."
Public Service Alliance of Canada's Ottawa Region Vice President Larry Rousseau was quoted as saying the RCR casino workers "have been without a raise since 2008-2009.”
"We're going on eight years without an increase,” he said, “and the offer that's on the table is a 1.75 [per cent] increase, but only for 2016. So we're talking about conditions that are clearly unacceptable."
(With files from the CBC)