Seven female servers from Casino New Brunswick say they were fired because they refused to comply with a new, sexier, dress code.
The women have filed a human rights complaint in response.
The Moncton casino disputes the claim, saying it was only four servers that were let go and that it had nothing to do with uniforms.
"We value our employees," says Casino New Brunswick spokesperson Craig Demarta. "We call them team members. They are really what make us money. They are the ones on the front line that communicate with guests, so they are the most important piece, but for different business reasons some people don't work out."
One regular casino patron says, in his view, performance could not have been the issue in at least one case.
"She has been here since I started," says Melvyn Christie. "She is a couple of months pregnant, she is probably the best waitress they've ever had here, very consistent, everybody liked her."
Ray Richard runs a local Facebook news site. He says the issue has taken off online.
"It was very heated," says Richard. "There were a lot of comments that had to be deleted because of swearing. I mean we encourage people to come on and debate and discuss but it was really heated over this casino."
Many of the comments have been in support of the workers, but some have defended the casino's right to have whatever dress code it sees fit.
The New Brunswick Federation of Labour says a union might have led to a different outcome.
"It's too bad that they don't have a union over there," says Michael Boudreau of the New Brunswick Federation of Labour. "It's too bad that they don't have a collective agreement because those places should have a collective agreement."
There is no timeline for a resolution, as the issue is working its way through the Human Rights Commission and possibly the courts.
With files from CTV Atlantic's David Bell
