Peace in the city
It appears that Atlantic City casinos will have labor peace for the next four years after officials signed the last outstanding union contracts.
potential walk-outs and strike action
Uncertainty has engulfed the city over the past few months with casino workers seeking wage increases and better deals with their relevant companies, leading to a stand-off with some operators. Threats of potential walk-outs and strike action ultimately did not come to fruition after union representatives and casino execs managed to secure deals.
The Golden Nugget Atlantic City Hotel and Casino was the last of the nine AC casinos to enter an agreement with the Local 54 Unite Here union, signing the deal on Thursday afternoon. Each of the agreements is the same, with the deals preventing any future strike action for at least another four years.
Everyone seemingly happy
While contract negotiations in previous years have focused more on pension and healthcare benefits, this time around union negotiators sought significant pay increases to help workers deal with the rising cost of living. The new agreements, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, also include protections for existing healthcare and pension benefits, as well as certain measures to protect jobs and improve further work opportunities.
The future of the city is secure”
If negotiations were unsuccessful, the union had given the green light for a strike to take place on Saturday against any of the city’s casinos yet to sign a contract. Speaking about the outcome of the lengthy negotiation process, union president Bob McDevitt, said: “The future of the city is secure, the leadership of the industry is sound, and Local 54 will always fight for the rights of workers.”
Following the signing of the deals this week, both Resorts Casino Hotel and Golden Nugget executives were happy with the new deals. Golden Nugget general manager and senior vice president Tom Pohlman, commented: “We were one of the final casinos that was approached for negotiations and we are proud it was a swift and amicable agreement.”
Getting over the line
The Resorts casino completed its negotiations on Wednesday, followed by the Golden Nugget on Thursday. Official ratification votes for the deals will occur next week among union workers.
The union and the Hard Rock, Tropicana, Harrah’s, Caesars, and the Borgata already formed an agreement earlier in July. The union also had a deal in place with the Ocean Casino Resort and Bally’s.