Atlantic City casino union authorises July strike

The Unite Here Local 54 union, which represents over 10,000 Atlantic City casino workers, has authorised a strike in July if contract agreements are not reached.

US.- The Unite Here Local 54 union has authorised a strike in July if new wage contract agreements are not reached by the beginning of the month. According to Local 54’s president, Bob McDevitt, nearly 96 per cent of the union’s members voted in favor of the strike.

The union said that it’s seeking a wage increase for its workers due to financial needs resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic and inflation. If a deal cannot be reached, casino workers from the Borgata and from Caesars Entertainment’s Caesars, Harrah’s, and Tropicana, are prepared to walk out. A strike against Hard Rock is also planned for July 3.

In early June, hundreds of Atlantic City casino workers gathered outside the Tropicana casino pushing for new contracts with significant pay rises. Existing contracts with eight of the nine casinos in Atlantic City expired on May 31. The union has been negotiating for over a month.

Unite Here Local 54, which represents over 10,000 Atlantic City casino workers, says it wants to keep workers from falling behind in an economy where labour shortages are increasing salaries in other industries and inflation is eating away at consumers’ purchasing power.

The union released a survey of 1,934 of its members that showed 61 per cent reported struggling to pay their rent or mortgage on time in the past year. Some 32 per cent reported they lacked money for food, 37 per cent lacked enough for utilities and 27 per cent for transportation.

See also: Atlantic City dealers’ union supports calls for casino smoking ban