A strike by unionized employees in the Old Port has closed numberous facilities and is forcing a soon-to-be-wed couple to scramble for a new venue just two weeks before their big day.

On Friday, 200 workers walked off the job, closing down the Science Centre, marina and clock tower beach indefinitely.

That day, Vanessa Maggio received a call that her wedding reception, scheduled to be held at the Science Centre on June 11, was cancelled.

“I was completely flabbergasted,” she said. “I was in tears.”

According to the Old Port corporation, weddings scheduled for this weekend will go ahead as scheduled, but all others after that will need to find new venues.

“We are right now working with them to be sure that the impact will be minimized on their wedding,” said corporation spokesperson Jimmy Laforge.

For right now, Maggio and fiancé Gianni Giancaspro are still searching as fast as they can.

“It’s been since Thursday now and we haven’t heard any venue options,” said Giancaspro. “We have no information. We have no evidence that they’re looking into the matter.”

Even worse, there has also been no word on being compensated for rentals they arranged for.

“The union is essentially using us as a hostage,” said Giancaspro. “They’re using us as a bargaining tool.”

Still, the two are upbeat that this will be a bump in the road in a long life together.

“This will be worked out and in the end I will get married,” said Maggio. “It’s going to be a beautiful day. But it really wasn’t necessary to be going through this during these last two weeks.”

The main sticking point in negotiations is salary, with the union looking to increase starting wages from $10.67 per hour to $15.00.

“We’ve put a very good offer on the table, 9.5 per cent over four years,” said Laforge. “We are still eager to go back to the negotiation table.”

On Friday and Saturday, the union held protests to drive their point home.

“The last four collective bargaining agreements that have been renegotiated have been either stagnant, so salary freezes, or decrease,” said union president Konrad Lamour. “Had management taken the responsibility to give proper increases, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”