A strike by roughly 1,700 workers from four Quebec casinos, as well as workers for the province’s online gaming platform, reaches the one-month mark tomorrow. Negotiations between the CSN and Loto-Québec stalled in May over the subject of compensation, and workers have been on the picket lines since late June.

The workers – mostly in security, custodial, and customer services – are seeking higher wages and shift premiums. Loto-Québec has proposed a 12.5 per cent salary increase over five years. The union has countered with a three-year contract, with salary raises of inflation plus one dollar each year.

Loto-Québec maintains that salaries are competitive, averaging 20 per cent above market rate. Union representative Riccardo Scopelleti says those figures are out of date in today’s competitive labour market.

Loto-Québec also cites 300 new workers since April 1. According to Scopelleti, the casinos have lost more than 1,400 workers since the start of the pandemic. As a result, some services that closed during COVID-19 remain so to this day.

To him, the offer tabled by Loto-Québec doesn’t provide incentives to attract and retain replacements – especially the proposal of a 10 per cent salary reduction for new employees.

Constantinos Alexiou agrees. He’s a former cook in the Montreal casino who now works in online gaming. He says that the casinos posting over a billion dollars in profits, and top executives getting six-figure bonuses, doesn’t help.

“It’s kind of insulting to be told … ‘we’ll take this much bonus but there’s no money to give you guys,’ especially when they’re asking newcomers to take a 10 per cent hit.”

It’s not just newcomers feeling the pinch. Ricardo Nucci is a thirty-year veteran of the security department. He says the union’s asks would help workers keep their heads above water.

“This strike hurts me more than other strikes and lockouts have over the years. I feel I’ve given more than half of my life to the casino, and there’s a lack of respect.”

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