More than 200 workers at Bally’s Twin River Lincoln Casino Resort who were considering walking off of the job will likely ratify their contracts tomorrow.
Members of the Unite Here Local 26 union voted on June 28 to go on strike if the negotiations weren’t fruitful.
However, union spokeswoman Lynette Ng tells Bonus.com today:
The Union reached a Tentative Agreement with Bally’s last week that includes additional shifts and wage increases for all workers. The contract ratification vote is tomorrow until 6:30 p.m.
A spokeswoman for the Rhode Island casino, Patti Doyle, also sounds confident:
There is a tentative agreement in place that will be ratified by the entire Unite Here union tomorrow. We believe the tentative contract is a fair agreement for all parties. Our conversations with our Unite Here colleagues are productive, and we look forward to continuing our collaborative relationship.
UPDATE: 07/20/2022 – Contract Ratified
At 7 p.m. today, the union announced workers ratified their contract with Bally’s.
The contract meets their demands for increased shifts “and significant raises for all workers.”
This is the result of a months-long bargaining process.
Local 26 President Carlos Aramayo said:
We are happy to report that, following productive bargaining, the Union and Bally’s reached a 14-month extension of the current contract. This agreement includes a pathway for our members to return to work, and unprecedented wage increases.We look forward to working in partnership with Bally’s to ensure that the casino continues to be a leading provider of good jobs with great benefits for the residents of Rhode Island.
What Bally’s Workers Sought
Hotel and food worker members of Local 26 voted to go on strike on June 28 if their negotiating committee couldn’t reach an agreement with the casino.
Their grievances included staffing levels, working hours, and pay rates.
These events are happening as Providence-based Bally’s Corporation attempts to complete a $1 billion sale and leaseback of the Lincoln casino and Bally’s Tiverton Casino and Hotel.
Plus, on July 8, Bally Bet launched in New York. The online sportsbook already exists in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, and Virginia.
The Bally’s Interactive announcement about the New York online sportsbook debut says:
New York is the second state to utilize Bally Bet’s new 2.0 sportsbook platform, which offers an updated design, intuitive screens with quick links to popular bet types, live scoring, and data visualizations, among other improvements.
Overall, the company has 14 retail gambling facilities; a New Jersey online casino, Bally Casino; and Bally Bet.
The corporation may be able to concentrate on these aspects of its business now that it may have averted a strike.
However, it may already be doing so. Bally’s stock has risen more than 15% so far this month.
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