Caesars Windsor has postponed more concerts and shows at The Colosseum and has cancelled hotel reservations through June 16 due to an ongoing strike by all employees of the casino resort.
Officials at the casino resort announced Wednesday that upcoming concerts by pop-punk band Blink-182 on June 2, comedian Russell Peters on June 15, and country musician Cole Swindell on June 16 were all postponed and would be rescheduled on a later date.
Caesars Windsor has postponed 12 concerts at its event venue The Colosseum since the beginning of the strike on April 6. Officials called their latest decision “difficult yet necessary”. Ticketholders will have their tickets honoured on the new dates for all of the postponed shows. Point-of-purchase refunds will also be available, a Wednesday message on the official website of the casino resort read. However, box office refunds can only be processed once the strike ends and Caesars Windsors resumes operation.
As mentioned above, hotel reservations have been cancelled through June 16. Caesars Windsor has begun contacting all affected guests via email or phone.
Employees at the casino resort walked out on April 6 after rejecting a contract offer. Wages have been the main point of contention in the prolonged dispute between workers and casino management.
The 2,100 Caesars Windsor employees participating in the labour disruption are represented by the Unifor Local 444 labour union. Union leadership endorsed a tentative agreement between the workers and the casino earlier this month, but it was rejected by the former on Friday, May 18. The deal was approved by less than 48% of all striking union members.
Another contract offer is expected to be negotiated as the strike has entered its seventh week, but a bargaining date is yet to be set.
Impact on City Budget
Caesars Windsor contributed $10 million to the city of Windsor during the financial year ended March 31, 2018. Under the terms of its license, the casino is required to share a portion of its annual revenue with its host community.
As the workers’ strike is marking its 49th day, concerns have been growing that the casino’s closure would cost Windsor an important revenue source.
However, City Treasurer Joe Mancina told local media earlier this week, that the strike would not have such a significant impact on Windsor’s budget. According to the official, the $10-million payment the city received from the casino represented around 1.2% of its budget. In addition, Windsor annually puts aside a ‘cash buffer’ of $1.5 million to cover the costs resulting from any ‘unforeseen circumstances’.
Mr. Mancina went on to say that there should be no risk of planned expenses for municipal services being cut back due to the labour disruption at Caesars Windsor. Contributions from the casino are usually directed to projects related to health care, education, as well as to community and sports facilities.
