Casino cooks lost jobs during pandemic, file Manitoba Labour Board complaint alleging discrimination

A trio of Filipino cooks who used to work at two Winnipeg casinos have filed a complaint with the Manitoba Labour Board, alleging they were discriminated against after Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries failed to recall them after pandemic restrictions lifted.

The womenworked as cooks in the casinos' staff cafeterias, and say they were first laid off at the beginning of April 2020, thinking it would just be for a few weeks while Manitoba businesses were closed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

But when the McPhillips Station and Club Regent casinos reopened that summer, they say they weren't brought back, despite each woman having worked there for close to a decade and believing they had seniority.

By fall of 2021, they still had not been recalled and were later told their positions had been eliminated, and were offered lower paying positions.

"I trusted and looked up to MBLL[Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries]because I thought it was a great company that advocated social responsibility, positive culture, and impartiality," wrote Estrella Acido in her complaint against MBLL, and Manitoba Government Employees Union, the union representing them.

"I am saddened that MBLL, that prides itself for being an organization that demonstrates said values in all its behaviours, is failing to recognize me in my most vulnerable point of life specially during these difficult times of the pandemic."

Acido, along with Anicia Reyes and Yolanda Bulan, filed complaints with the Manitoba Labour Board at the end of May against Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries and Manitoba Government Employees Union, the union representing them.

They saidthey werediscriminated against because they were older and Filipino, and arguedthat MGEU failed to take reasonable care to represent their interests.

Difficult to cope

Casinos were one of the last businesses to reopen following the first round of pandemic restrictions in 2020. They were permitted to reopen at 30 per cent capacity in August 2020.

In June 2020, then-MGEU president Michelle Gawronsky said the union expected that food and beverage workers would be recalled soon.

But that wasn't the case for Acido. Months went by, and Acido says her manager never contacted her about coming back to work, despite seeing postings for other positions.

"From that time, it was really hard for us to cope financially," said Acido.

She reached out to her manager in October 2021 after the province's pandemic restrictions were lifted entirely, but says she was told to apply for a different position.

She said she went to her union, Manitoba Government Employees Union, contacting them multiple times with little success. Acido says she finally reached the president of the union, Kyle Ross, in November, but he told her there was nothing they could do for her.

The three women, along with other staff cafe cooks who were also Filipino, tried to set up an in-person meeting with an HR representative with MBLL. Though a union rep was slated to attend, Acido said the group requested that they bring a friend along to provide emotional support because they didn't feel supported by their union or employer.

On Nov. 24, 2021, Acido received an email from HR, saying they had refused to attend the meeting because MBLL did not allow them to bring a friend.

The email goes on to say that the Crown corporation was discontinuing their positions as cooks working in the staff cafeteria due to declining business.

The HR rep saidthey could take a lower paying position or accept a severance package.

The women took the severance pay.

Acido says she only found out that her position had been terminated via an email from HR in November. She also said she and the other two women chose not to take another position because they did not pay as much.

CBC News asked MBLL and MGEU to confirm when the decision was made to eliminate the staff cafeteria cook positions, and when employees were notified.

MGEU deferred to the employer, while a spokesperson for Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries said they could not provide that information as the complaint is now before the labour board.

The whole ordeal has been difficult for her not just financially, but emotionally, Acido says.

"I try to be acting normal. But deep inside it's still there. It's like you cannot take it right away," she said.

"Because you used to go to work every day seeing those people, smiling at you. So I miss them. It's hard."

'They don't need us anymore'

Reyes and Bullan also submitted complaints to the Manitoba Labour Board, saying they went through similar experiences as Acido.

After working at Club Regent Casino for more than 10 years, Reyes says the company made her feel like trash.

"Because we are old, we are useless. That's what I felt. They don't need us anymore."

At 64, she says she has health issues and hasn't been able to find new work. If it weren't for her sister, Reyes says she fears she would be homeless.

"I'm staying with her until now. If not, where will I go?"

Yolanda Bullan had been employed as a cook at McPhillips Station since 2010 before she was laid off. Like Acido and Reyes, she says she wanted to go back to work at the sameposition, but eventually took a meagreseverance.

"It hurts and it's humiliating," she said.

"I admit, I lost my confidence in applying for a new job, thinking I might have a manager who will not have respect for his employees again."

Employer, union respond

A spokesperson for Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries said the Crown corporation is aware of the complaint. While they could not comment on it directly, they said unionized employees are notified in advance of any operational changes, as well as their options.

The spokesperson went on to say that the Crown corporation had to adapt its operations

"Like many businesses, Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries has had to adapt and realign areas of its operations to improve its services and continue to meet customer needs, including throughout the pandemic," the spokesperson said in an email.

In total, there were 1,300 MBLL employees who were issued temporary layoff notices in the spring of 2020.

Over the next 12 to 18 months, nearly 1,200 employees were recalled to work, however, in some cases people resigned because they had taken other jobs or moved away, while some positions were discontinued, the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, MGEU president Kyle Ross said the union was active and vocal in advocating for the rights of members impacted by layoffs resulting from the pandemic, including negotiating an extension of casino workers' recall rights beyond what was required by their contract.

In an emailed statement, Ross said he recognizes it is always difficult when employers downsize, but that MGEU advocated for all members of this particular bargaining unit to be treated fairly.

"Unfortunately, some members chose not to fully engage and participate in the process."

Ross went on to say that MGEU takes all member complaints seriously "and is confident that appropriate representation was offered to these former members, and to all impacted members of this bargaining unit."

Complaint alleging discrimination filed after casino cooks lost jobs during pandemic

2 years ago

Duration 1:56

A trio of Filipino cooks who used to work at two Winnipeg casinos have filed a complaint with the Manitoba Labour Board, alleging they were discriminated against after Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries failed to recall them after pandemic restrictions lifted.