Summary
- The union created a website to alert travelers of hotels that might be affected by labor disputes.
- The goal of new contracts is to ensure that employees are treated fairly.
- The union is seeking wage increases via the upcoming contracts.
Visitors to Atlantic City casinos may be upset to find major issues at play if the Local 54 of the Unite Here union does not see new contracts signed by May 31. The union is trying to help its members from falling behind has the economy takes a hit from inflation. Significant wage increases have been requested and it is unclear if the casinos are going to pay up.
The Local 54 is alerting travelers that they should be aware of potential disruption if visiting Atlantic City in the near future. The union has created a new website called actravelalert.org. On the site, the union lists hotels that have union contracts in place. Visitors can consider staying with these hotels and avoid any issues based on the labor disputes.
The home page of the site features an image of union members on strike in 2016 outside the former Trump Taj Mahal casino. A labor dispute took place at the time and the casino ended up shutting down. In 2018, the casino was opened by Hard Rock International.
The union created the web page to show how serious they are about the contract changes. Union president Bob McDevitt stated the union is not threatening anyone. The website is being used as an increase in pressure on casinos to complete the contract negotiations.
Revenues are High and Summer is Approaching
In April, the casinos in Atlantic City surpassed revenues within the land-based facilities that bested the 2019 numbers, before the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a big milestone and shows that the venues are on the path to recovery. The summer months are also a busy time, so casinos are counting on the tourism to continue to boost revenue numbers.
If the labor union goes on strike because of the issue regarding new contracts, casino may suffer due to a low number of employees working onsite. Right now, the union is in negotiations with Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International. Bally’s and Ocean Casino Resort have already agreed to terms.
McDevitt has pointed out that MGM and Caesars need to remember what happened during the last labor dispute in 2016. Carl Icahn, the then-owner of the Taj Mahal, decided to close the casino when the union went on strike due to health and pension benefit issues. The president pointed out that those in charge at the two companies right now have no idea what to expect with the labor disputes.
McDevitt feels they need to know what can happen if the contracts are not agreed upon by the deadline.
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