Union and casino still far apart as midnight deadline looms

The union representingabout 2,300 employees at CaesarsWindsor says the casino's plan of having staff work right up to the midnight strike deadline could causeproblems.

Unifor Local 444 president James Stewart said the union and Caesars are still dealing with some "major challenges" when it comes to wages, benefits and pensions.

• Unifor 444 prepare for possible Caesars Windsor strike

"The company has a different agenda than we have. We're working on closing the gap from where they're at to where we're at," he explained. "[But]We are running out of time."

Ina statement emailed toCBCNews, Caesarsspokesperson JhoanBaluyot said for the time being it's "business as usual."

"Caesars Windsorwill continue to respect the process of both collective bargaining teams and will not be commenting on the status of negotiations," she wrote."When thereisnews to share with our guests and the media, we will do so proactively and communicate accordingly."

Workers won't have time to prepare for strike

Stewart said when workers went on strike in the past the casino shut down around 7 or 8 p.m. to ensure staff had time to complete their work before the deadline.

But that's not the case this time around.

"They're saying they want to work as late as possible. That is going to cause some issues in trying to make sure our members know what's going on."

Workers at the casino aren't able to just "clap their hands and walk out," Stewart added.

• Casino workers vote to strike

"They've got to secure the assets, the have to make sure they follow the regulations so they don't lose their licenses," he said."It is their right to move the needle forward for themselves and their families it's going to be a problem at midnight tonight."

Workers will be on strike at midnight even if bargaining continues, according to the union leader.