New Jersey Casino: Atlantic City’s Casino Workers Set For Salary Increase Lou De Aguila 8. May 2022 | UPDATED ON: 8. May 2022 Post Views: 92 From Las Vegas to Atlantic City, New Jersey, casino workers are banding together to leverage their worth and demand greater compensation from operators. According to Bob McDevitt of Unite Here Local 54, which represents over 10,000 Atlantic City casino employees, current labor discussions will focus on payment rather than future benefits. Aside from health and retirement, McDevitt says casino employees want to take home more cash. Simply put, Unite Here Local 54 members want to be middle class. McDevitt believes a significant wage raise is long needed, but the demand for competent professionals may change that. Casino Employees Bargain Hard However, contracts at eight of the city’s nine casinos expire at the end of the month. There is now a strong incentive for all parties to strike a compromise, especially because the casinos are facing a legal challenge to a PILOT relief law that exempts online gaming and betting income from taxation, as well as a coming indoor smoking ban. The epidemic has helped casino workers, since they are now in a stronger position to demand meaningful employment conditions. Dealers in Atlantic City make an average of $25/hour, but union representatives believe staff should be paid more. According to Tropicana bartender Janey Negron, the issue is not so much the present pay as the growing standard of life and rising expenses. Casino revenue has been sluggish, making it difficult for employees to demand higher compensation. Last year, AC casinos made $2.55 billion. Top 5 New Jersey Online Casinos Golden Nugget Online Casino – Massive selection of games Resorts Online Casino – Ideal for playing on mobile devices Borgata Online Casino – Great live casino offering Tropicana Online Casino – Exciting cashback bonus offer Caesars Online Casino – The best all-rounder Casinos Approve Workers’ Demands But things aren’t so awful now. Mr. Lupo thinks that there is little cause for fear. Historically, the city’s casinos and employees have gotten along well, so raising pay shouldn’t be an issue, he says. In reality, Lupo’s casino, Hard Rock Atlantic City, has already increased compensation to retain and recruit employees, especially after many were furloughed in the early months of the pandemic. Negotiations are still underway, so casino employees might expect another raise. About Lou De Aguila Lou Aguila is a news and feature writer for Golden Casino News. For over a decade, Lou has published news and featured articles for some of the most reputable sports betting and online casino sites in the world, including BetNow.UK, VegasOdds, and BWin. Apart from being a hardcore live casino punter, he also covers sports stories in North American leagues from time to time. View all posts by Lou De Aguila →