Bulletin
Cascades Casino – Langley & Penticton – Benefits
December 23, 2021
To: All MoveUP members at Cascades Casino
Happy Holidays to all of our MoveUP members at Cascades Casino. I’m sure a lot of you may have seen a recent announcement from the employer sent out to all staff via “Dayforce” regarding benefits coverage, and the costs associated with such coverage, for those members currently laid off from Cascades Casino. For those who haven’t seen this update, we will include it below.
” Gateway is extending group prescription drug and life insurance coverage for eligible employees until the sooner of their return to work or July 31, 2022. Employees are eligible if they have not returned to work from the March 2020 closure, or have been laid off since, and in either case are actively enrolled in group benefits coverage.”
What this means is that any MoveUP member who continues to be on layoff from the start of the pandemic in March 2020 or have been back to work and then laid off and are enrolled in these two coverages will continue to receive these coverages. The duration will be until when the member returns from layoff, or July 31st, 2022, whichever comes first. But there will still not be any accumulation of any paid leaves, including sick leave or short-term disability benefits, and pension plan contributions for these laid-off members still will not occur. The Employer goes on to state that,
“Gateway has decided to pay the employee portion of benefits premiums for certain inactive employees, both retroactively and on a go-forward basis until as late as July 31, 2022, provided we continue to be subject to COVID-19 restrictions. As you know, Gateway had paid these premiums on inactive employees’ behalf to maintain coverage while they were inactive due to COVID-19 related restrictions. As a result of this decision, Gateway will not seek to recover the employee premiums from employees. Further, it will continue to pay the employee portion of the premiums while employees cannot work due to COVID-19 restrictions until the earlier of an employee’s return to work or July 31, 2022.”
This paragraph states that so long as there are Covid-19 restrictions in place that Cascades Casino is subject to the employer will pay the laid-off member’s portion of the benefits cost, and not seek to recover any of the premiums from these employees. Cascades Casino is committed to doing this while these members continue to be laid off due to Covid-19 until they are recalled to work, or until July 31st,2022.
Please ensure that this benefits coverage continues for you if you continue to remain on lay-off and if you have any issues, please be sure to contact Human Resources, or us at MoveUP directly.
Thanks and we at MoveUP hope that you and your families have a safe and happy holiday season.
In solidarity,
Phillip Bargen, Union Representative