Union leaders organized a protest earlier this month to fight low wages for employees at Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino. Members of Unite Here Local 54, Laborers Local 413 and Teamsters Local 107 all showed solidarity for casino workers in front of Harrah’s Philadelphia on Oct. 13.
PlayPennsyvlania spoke with the President of Unite Here Local 54, Donna DeCaprio, on the fight that’s ahead for her union.
Harrah’s Philadelphia employees complaining of low wages
Unite Here Local 54 negotiates with Harrah’s Philadelphia and represents 150 employees at the casino. Those include:
- Bartenders
- Cocktail servers
- Cage cashiers
- Warehouse employees
DeCaprio said that those employees are not making fair wages, and in some cases, are getting paid fewer than $10 an hour. Harrah’s Philadelphia refused to make a fair wage proposal to the union by the June 30 deadline. DeCaprio then gathered union members and employees to demonstrate a public three-hour-long picket line outside Harrah’s Philadelphia.
DeCaprio told PlayPennsylvania:
“The company, in its mission statement, claims to pay excellent wages. And they’re simply not doing that.”
According to DeCaprio, it was the first time the union had to take public action, as about 150 people attended the protest. She also disclosed to PlayPennsylvania that more than 30% of Harrah’s Philadelphia employees rely on public assistance.
What’s next for Harrah’s Philadelphia PA casino employees?
Even though the union is meeting with Harrah’s Philadelphia for department issues in the upcoming weeks, there is nothing planned to discuss the wages of employees.
“We do not have another date scheduled to discuss economics and there are several economic issues that are still on the table,” DeCaprio said.
So, what is the next step for the union members?
“We are going to keep demonstrating, keep protesting until we win a fair contract.”
Part of that demonstration will include a social media campaign that is in the process of being put together. DeCaprio said that a group of workers already attended a hearing last month in front of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). She mentioned that she’ll lean on the PGCB for help in the future, too.
DeCaprio and her team will keep fighting until employees at Harrah’s Philadelphia are compensated fairly.
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