Casino labor contract approved by workers

Wednesday, Sept. 22, 1999 | 11:44 a.m.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ATLANTIC CITY -- Members of Atlantic City's Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International (Culinary) local union voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new five-year pact with nine of the city's 12 casinos.

The Press of Atlantic City reported more than 83 percent of voters cast ballots in favor of the deal. The deal gives workers a pay increase of 35 cents an hour in its first year, and subsequent annual increases of 30 cents an hour. The contract was for workers at the Tropicana Casino & Resort, Resorts Casino Hotel, Sands Hotel & Casino, Caesars Atlantic City, Atlantic City Hilton, Bally's Park Place, Trump Plaza, Trump Taj Mahal and Trump Marina.

In a separate vote Monday, more than 1,000 workers voted in favor of a separate pact with Harrah's Atlantic City, Showboat Casino and Claridge.

The new pact didn't include a ban on the practice of subcontracting, which allows casinos to use outside contracts to handle services and run restaurants at wages typically below the union's scale. But union employees can't be laid off in favor of subcontractors under the new pact.

The Atlantic City Culinary represents about 14,000 hotel-casino employees.