Langley/Abbotsford (Al Bieksa) -The employees of Chances Casino in Abbotsford are now in a legal strike situation. Their contract expired at the end of February of this year and just recently, after many days of bargaining the Union and the Employer reached an impasse.
From USW United Steel Workers 2009 Website:
The prominent issue is wages. The majority of employees in the casino are classified as slot attendants. The wages in the collective agreement are $16.34 per hour. Fortunately, minimum wages have risen to the point of $17.40 per hour as of June 1, 2024 and so employees receive 30 cents more than minimum wage.
The living wage in Abbotsford is well over $20 per hour. With the cost of living reaching almost unprecedented levels the past few years, and prices continuing to remain high even as the inflation rate decreases, the Employer just doesn’t understand, or care, that casino employees are struggling to survive.
With approximately $16 million in annual revenue, we can’t understand why Gateway Casinos will not offer their loyal employees a decent wage. The Employer tries to utilize the argument that employees are subsidized by tips and that somehow makes up for the shortfall in wages.
