ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – While Atlantic City casinos are working to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, workers who continue to operate casinos are trying to do the same. The chief union representing the casino workers in Atlantic City told The Associated Press.

That it was now looking for “significant” wage increases in the talks. 온라인카지노

The aim is to prevent workers from falling into the economy, where labor shortages increase wages. In other sectors but inflation consumes consumers’ purchasing power. The current contracts of eight of the nine casinos expire on May 31; Ocean Casino Resort operates without a union agreement but complies with its terms.

Bob McDevitt

Bob McDevitt, president of Local 54 of the Unite Here union, said casino workers – like their employers – were trying to improve their finances in the third year of the pandemic. “Our goal is to move our workers stronger into the middle class,” he said. Last week, union workers began wearing uniform buttons that said, “Casino workers need a trip.”

Bethany Holmes

Bethany Holmes, a union spokeswoman, said she had not signed new contracts with Las Vegas casinos in the past two years. The department will not be told what increase is needed. But McDevitt said it should be enough. Not only to cover the rising costs of workers, but also to acquire land and improve their situation. Janey Negron, a bartender in Tropica for 22 years, has five children and also takes care of her mother. “Salary is not what they need,” said Negron, who lives in Egg Harbor Township near Atlantic City. “Everything goes up: gas, food, hair. Health care costs are just rising for my mother and children. It’s not that (casino) can’t do it. They searched and we let them go through a pandemic. We have to pay for it. “

Rodney Mills

Rodney Mills is a housekeeper in Tropicana, where she has worked for 30 years. She was the sole parent of children aged 3, 5 and 7 after her mother’s death in September.

And was dependent on the help of her parents.

“I don’t have a car or a house – two things I need to strengthen my family,” Mills said. “Lifting must be full width.” In fact, they are already in many casinos. McDevitt, the union president, acknowledged that many casinos had unilaterally increased employees’ wages. Above the level set by current treaties; those overpayments are usually about 10% higher than required by the contract. Among them is Hard Rock. “We just gave our employees a raise due to negotiations,” said Joe Lupo, president of Hard Rock. He said his casino and others realized that higher wages were needed to attract new employees and retain existing ones.

CEO Bill Callahan

Bill Callahan, CEO of Ocean Casino, said he “hopes to have an agreement signed in the coming days” that will increase the salaries of many employees. Managers of four other casinos did not respond to requests for comments. The unions also plan to address what is said to be a shortage of key staff in casino departments, including a housekeeper, which, according to McDevitt, is a job with at least 500 vacancies in the city.

The emphasis on higher wages is a shift for unions, which for decades have favored comprehensive health insurance and pensions, McDevitt said.

He said the casino industry had shown strength in the third year of the pandemic, helped by a strong performance in the online gambling and sports betting industry Last year, according to the State Division of Gaming Enforcement, casinos won more than $ 4.2 billion in the combined casino, online and sports betting revenue. However, casino management has long said that online and sports betting revenue streams are not what they seem. As casinos save only about 30% of that money, while some go to third-party providers.

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They argue that the money won by personal gamblers in their area is a more realistic indicator of the health of the industry. Personal income last year was $ 2.5 billion, well below 2019, before the pandemic broke out. McDevitt said he hoped it would soon be possible to reach new contracts in casinos, and Lupo reiterated McDevitt’s assessment of the union-casino working relationship as positive.