The Increase in Wages Was Done to Help Employees Cope with Inflation

By John Isaac,
Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac is an editor with many years of experience in the gambling industry. He writes expert articles on card games like blackjack and poker. In addition, he is also well aware of the US gambling laws and the Indian and Dutch gambling markets. You can rely on verified information and insightful details.

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Last updated: September 14, 2022

Hard Rock International and Seminole recently announced that they would spend more than $100M to significantly raise the wages of 10,000 non-tipped workers, the majority of whom are in the United States. This is done to help employees cope with inflation and help the business retain and attract talent. A press release mentions that the recent $100M investment of Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming is part of its ongoing effort to appreciate and honor its workforce. Part of this effort includes paying frontline workers bonuses during the pandemic.

The company’s CEO and chairman, Jim Allen, said, “We looked at all the starting salaries of all our (front) line employees, certainly recognizing the economic conditions that have been going on.” He further said that throughout the four decades of his career, he has never taken part in an occasion this historic. Allen added, I’m honored to have been a part of how we’ve helped people change their lives.

Details of the Raise

The raises include an instant increase to a minimum starting salary of $18 to $21 per hour. Additionally, some salaried employees will also see their merit raises increased. In some cases, an immediate raise of 60% will be given to workers. The raises are intended to help in times of continual inflation and to reduce employee turnover. They are applicable to 95 job classifications. These classifications include housekeepers, cooks, cage cashiers, security workers, front desk clerks, etc.

David Schwartz, who is a gambling historian at UNLV (University of Nevada, Las Vegas), said that the raise would give Hard Rock an edge over its competitors in these times when labor is relatively tight. He mentioned that raising pay is one strategy to attract excellent employees at a time when the service industry is at a crossroads.

A “Historic” Contract Was Reached in July

Atlanta’s nine casinos and the main casino workers union in the city reached what is referred to as a “historic” contract in July. This contract provided the biggest salary increase ever included in a casino agreement in New Jersey. It sets the starting rate at $18 per hour, and classifications like housekeeping will earn $22 per hour in the deal’s fourth year.

According to Bob McDevitt, the establishment of a national salary scale by Hard Rock is “a great move,” and it will have a huge impact everywhere they operate. Bob McDevitt is the president of Unite Here Local 54 Atlantic City. The starting salary of $18 per hour recently announced by Hard Rock is more than the local minimum wage in each state where the company operates. It is also two and a half times the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. These salary increases will translate to Hard Rock’s upcoming New York location as soon as it opens in the near fututre.

For instance, in Florida, an entry-level employee will get an instant increase in pay of $8 to $11 per hour. This is more than the state’s minimum wage of $10 per hour. The increase in hourly rate amounts to more than $16,000 a year. An entry-level hire in Atlantic City will be paid up to $6 per hour more than the state’s minimum wage of $13 per hour. This translates to a yearly raise above $10,000, from $27,040 to $37,440.