ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Union negotiators met with management at several Atlantic City casinos Wednesday in an attempt to reach a new contract and avoid a threatened Friday strike.þLocal 54 of the Unite Here union was in talks with representatives of Caesars Entertainment, which owns three of Atlantic City's nine casinos: Caesars, Harrah's and the Tropicana.þþThe union has set a deadline of 12:01 a.m. Friday to reach a new labor agreement with those casinos and with the Borgata, which is owned by MGM Resorts International.þþÿThere's ample opportunity for us to get momentum in negotiations and follow that to an agreement,ÿ said Bob McDevitt, the union's president. ÿThis is the time where it's really up to the companies. They know what our objectives are.ÿþþIris Sanchez, a housekeeper at Caesar's, says it's been frustrating as they ask for higher wages.þþÿI was renting a two-bedroom for $800, now a two-bedroom is $1,500. And the $16 an hour we are making here is not enough,ÿ said Sanchez.þþMembers of Unite Here Local 54 voted earlier this month to authorize a strike for five casinos after their contract expired on June 1.þþService workers are asking for higher pay and better working conditions.þþHard Rock has a strike deadline of Sunday, July 3.þþTwo casinos, Bally's and Ocean, have reached so-called ÿme-tooÿ agreements with the union, committing themselves to adopting the terms of contracts eventually reached with the larger casinos.þþThe city's last casino strike occurred in 2016, when a walkout against the Trump Taj Mahal led to its closure three months later. It has since reopened under new ownership as the Hard Rock.þþThe union has not yet negotiated with Resorts or the Golden Nugget. McDevitt said they are not in danger of being targeted by a work stoppage at this point, adding that once contracts are reached with larger casinos, the union will then approach Resorts and Golden Nugget.
Source: 6abc.com
