by Rachael Kimola - Mar 19, 2008 Castanet
They didn’t take the offer. Employees at four Lake City Casinos across the Interior voted three-to-one against a contract settlement which would have provided pay raises in a three-year deal. The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union represents workers at casinos in Kamloops, Kelowna, Penticton and Vernon. Union negotiator, Mike Orders, says a controversial move by the employer to change how gratuities were divided among the workers had a significant impact on the vote result. "The result sends a pretty strong message that both sides are going to have to improve on the original offer. The gratuity change would have resulted in some workers receiving a much smaller share of tips," says Orders. He says the 500 staff at the Lake City Casino sites work as dealers, slot machine attendants, cashiers, food and beverage servers and security personnel and have been without a contract since September 2007.
“The tentative agreement that was voted down was reached earlier in March with the help of Labour Relations Board mediator Mark Brown. It provided for pay raises of 2.5, 3 and 2.5 per cent in a three-year deal, plus increases in paid training. The union's bargaining committee had recommended acceptance.” Orders says the union will be consulting with members about the next step in efforts to achieve a new agreement.
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