Strike preparation was underway Wednesday morning at the Unifor Local 444 union hall on Turner Road.
Contract talks between the union and Caesars Windsor continue ahead of expiration of the current collective agreement at 11:59 p.m. April 2.
If a tentative deal is not reached by then, or if talks are not extended, Manny Cardoso, secretary treasurer of Unifor Local 444 says workers will walk off the job at 12:01 a.m. Thursday April 3.
The union represents about 1,500 workers at the casino, and last week, the union said unionized workers at the casino voted 98 per cent in favour of strike action if necessary to back contract demands.
Cardoso says they're still feeling optimistic.
"We're still miles apart in a lot of issues, mainly wages, but there is still a lot of time to go and we know how things go last couple of minutes, things can change really quickly," he said.
Cardoso says the union is seeking a general wage increase for all members at Caesars Windsor.
"The workers feel like other industries have really made massive gains in wages in the last few years, and they feel like they've been behind the eight-ball on that, so they're looking to recoup some of the, you know, what other industries have picked up, and so we're looking for some decent wage gains," Cardoso said.
In 2018, the members went on strike for 60 days after rejecting two tentative agreements, before voting 75 per cent in favour of ratification of a third.
Cardodo says negotiations feel different this go around.
"It was more drawn out, there was a lot of tension at the time, I don't feel that this time at the table, things are progressing, which is good, but again we're still a ways away, but there's a lot of time," he said.
In a statement provided to AM800, Caesars Windsor said "we respect the bargaining process and union leadership’s strong mandate to reach a deal on behalf of the membership. In the spirit of fair negotiations, we will not be commenting further at this time".
Strike preparation is underway at the union hall on Turner Road. @LOCAL444UNIFOR says contract talks continue with @CaesarsWindsor. The current collective agreement expires at 11:59 tonight. Workers could strike at 12:01am Thursday if a deal isn’t reached. #cklw @AM800CKLW pic.twitter.com/nrSCZ2IHP3
— Rob Hindi (@rhindi800) April 2, 2025