Another strike averted as remaining 2 Atlantic City casinos ink new labor deals

Once again, a strike in Atlantic City between casino workers and management has been averted.

Nearly a month after five of the city’s biggest gambling palaces reached agreement on a new labor contract with Unite Here Local 54, the Golden Nugget reached agreement with the union Thursday. By then, it was the lone casino at the table as Resorts casino had cut a deal with the union a day earlier.

The agreement, according to a release from the union, mirrors those of the other seven casinos that were ratified earlier this month. It fully funds family health care and pension plans, includes new language to protect jobs, and brings improvements to housekeeping workloads. Above all, it provides the substantial pay increases that workers have been seeking.

A ratification vote on the labor deal, which covers 1,000 employees of Golden Nugget and Resorts, will take place on a date to be announced soon.

The deal comes a week after 97% of union members voted to authorize a strike on July 30, had a deal not been reached. It also follows the end of the NAACP Convention, the first major event the city has hosted since it reopened from pandemic shutdowns.

Prior to that, employees at Borgata, Caesar’s, Hard Rock, Harrah’s, and Tropicana voted to ratify agreements that their union billed as “historic.” Management at Bally’s and Ocean Casino Resort opted to go along with the deal through “me-too” agreements.

Casinos are still continuing to recover from the pandemic.

Recent figures from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement indicate that casinos have seen an increase in revenue generated. However, the industry has been struggling to fill available jobs.