Windsor's Mayor is speaking out about the strike at Caesars Windsor.
During a support rally for the Unifor Local 444 members, union officials called out Drew Dilkens for not taking a public position.
One comment made by a union leader was that the mayor "is not a friend of labour," a comment Dilkens disputes. "I think that comment is just nonsense, I'm a friend of the people of the city and I want to happen what's right by the people who live in my community," says Dilkens. "But there's a role for the mayor to play, there's an appropriate role for the mayor to play and that is not to jump in an intervene in every strike that happens in the city."
Dilkens says he is willing to play a role in resolving the strike, if both sides believe that will make a difference, but he also believes the province has a role to play. "I think the provincial government, who actually regulate the casino, should actually be the ones to step forward and have that kind of conversation with the folks that they deal with," he says. "I mean, of course I would like to see all parties get back to the bargaining table and resolve this issue as quickly as possible. This is the biggest tourism driver in our community."
This is Day 34 of the strike of more than 2,100 Unifor Local 444 members at Caesars Windsor.
Dilkens points out the city receives a share of the casino revenue. "The longer this drags on, the worse it will be for the city budget, in terms of meeting our budget objective on the casino operations, so it does play a direct role in the city budgeting process."
No new talks are planned between the union and casino.