In the spirit of the Christmas holidays, Casino Rama is once again demonstrating its social responsibility to its local communities. Just this week, the Gateway Casinos and Entertainment gaming property announced that it has made a generous donation to The Sharing Place Food Centre. The donation is in the size of approximately CA$5,000.
Located at 5899 Rama Rd, Rama, Ontario, the gaming establishment is one of the largest ones in the province. It touts immense gambling options on its gaming floor equipped with slots and live table games, as well as some exquisite food and drink amenities. This includes the Simcoe Yard House, the Centre Bar, The Willow and more. The casino is open to the public 24/7.
Giving Back
Casino Rama is a long-time supporter of The Sharing Place Food Centre, and this Christmas the company has once more helped the organization. Amanda Lucas, a representative of Gateway Casinos and Entertainment, which operates the casino, commented that the food bank is an important initiative for the casino located east of Orillia and its many employees.
In the press release from the company, Ms. Lucas revealed that recently food bank officials have informed the casino operator that they have witnessed a 30 percent increase in visits this year. They have also reported an amazing 70 percent bum in the first-time visits to the organization’s site located at 95 Dufferin St.
Ms. Lucas shared that the staff of the casino managed to collect more than CA$2,300 for the initiative via a Jeans Day fundraiser. Also, over 242 pounds of food was collected and sent to the food bank. However, that is not all, as, after its employees’ initiative, the casino also decided to chip in for the donation and sent an additional CA$2,500 to the important cause, noted Ms. Lucas.
Signing New Collective Contract
Earlier this year, unionized staff of the gaming property agreed to and signed a new and improved collective agreement. The new arrangement is in play for the next three years, and it will award workers with a wage bump of 9.5% over the duration of the pact as well as improved benefits. Negotiations for the employees were led by Unifor Local 1090.
The new collective agreement improves skilled trades by 15% over the next three years, while also vastly shortening the wage progression scale. In addition to that, the contract improves benefits, reduces premiums for part-time workers by 50%, and improves vision and paramedical coverage for all members. It also increases bereavement benefits and banquet event order gratuities, and more.
However, a few months later, the management of Casino Rama got in trouble with some of its staff due to a cancellation of a shuttle service. Some workers were unhappy with the employer as many relied on the shuttle to get from home to the casino in Rama First Nation. The company cited declining ridership as one of the reasons for the cancellation of the service.
Source: “‘An important cause’: Casino Rama steps up to help Sharing Place” Orillia Matters, December 21, 2022
