Atlantic City NJ June 17 2022 Unionized employees at five of the nine casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey, authorized a strike if new contract agreements aren’t reached by early July.

The decision affects more than 6,000 employees, including bartenders, cocktail servers, hotel housekeepers and valets, who are asking for pay raises and more staffing amid a labor shortage. They work at Caesars, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Harrah’s Resort, Tropicana and Borgata Hotel & Resort. Contracts expired May 31.

Local 54 of Unite Here, the union representing them, is seeking a 38% increase in the minimum wage, to $18 per hour. On June 8 it sent a complaint to the state community affairs division, alleging that the hotels weren’t having hotel guest rooms cleaned daily, resulting in more work for too few employees.

Atlantic City is trying to regain its spot as the No. 2 gambling market, behind Las Vegas, after new casinos in Pennsylvania, New York and elsewhere lured its day-tripping core, and the pandemic led to a 107-day shutdown in 2020.

Through April, the nine Atlantic City casinos had total revenue of $1.6 billion, a 20% increase from the same period last year, according to state data. The casinos’ online gaming win, or net after bets are paid, was 30% higher.

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