AC Casino Workers Prep For A Strike Against Up To 5 Facilities
By David Madden
ATLANTIC CITY (CBS) -- Unionized hospitality workers at five Atlantic City casinos are gearing up for a possible strike on Friday.
Strike captains are getting their marching orders at Caesars, Harrah's, Bally's, Tropicana and Trump Taj Mahal.
Local 54 UNITE HERE President Bob McDevitt characterizes negotiations as difficult. He compares them to a game of whack-a-mole.
But a strike authorization vote earlier this month has added a sense of urgency to the situation.
"The atmosphere has changed dramatically," McDevitt told reporters in a conference call. "They seem to want to get to a deal but, as always, the devil's in the details."
And the 6,000 plus members at the five facilities have gone without much of a raise for the last five years. Pair that with givebacks, and takeaways as part of the bankruptcy at the Taj, and the union sees these negotiations are critical, given the casinos are doing better these days.
Management has, for the most part, declined comment.
A strike would affect hospitality services at the hotels. Casino dealers are not represented by Local 54.
Operations will not be affected at Golden Nugget, Borgata or Resorts.
