Workers have voted to strike at the Ottawa Senators' hockey arena and are in a position to walk off the job on the day of a possible NHL playoff game.

But if they do, Scotiabank Place plans to carry out "business as usual," says the arena's executive director.

Game 6 of the Ottawa-New Jersey NHL playoff series is scheduled to be held at Scotiabank Place May 7, the day arena workers would be in a position to strike.
(CBC)

Sixty-one workers at Scotiabank Place represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees voted Monday 86 per cent in favour of striking, CUPE said in a news release.

They can legally walk off the job May 7, when the Senators are scheduled to play at home against the New Jersey Devils if Game 6 is necessary in their Eastern Conference semifinal. Ottawa has a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Scotiabank Place vice-president and executive director Tom Conroy gave assurances Tuesday that a strike would not shut down the arena during the playoffs. He would not provide further details.

"Until we're in a strike position ... I'm not going to speculate on how we're going to operate other than to say we're going to operate in a business as usual position," Conroy told CBC.ca Tuesday.

Optimism on both sides

He added he is optimistic a deal can be reached before the strike deadline.

The workers, who include ice-resurfacing machine drivers, maintain the arena and prepare it for events ranging from hockey games to concerts.

They are trying to negotiate wages, benefits, job security and scheduling with Capital Sports Properties Inc., the company that owns the arena, for their first contract since they unionized in June 2006.

Union spokesman Andy Mele said the strike vote took place after management changed its mind about concessions it had already made.

Mele added union members are also optimistic they will be able to reach a settlement, but have not yet finalized what actions they will take if they do not have a contract by the strike deadline.

"We're going back to square one again … and we had no choice but to say fine, we're calling the [government] back in," he said.

The two sides are to meet with a federally appointed arbitrator Thursday.