UNITE HERE, the labor union that is representing employees of Ameristar Casino, has been making the headlines recently mainly because of the protests organized against the idea of Ameristar executives to cut down on employees’ health insurance plan.
The workers insisted an agreement with Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. to be reached and in order that purpose to be achieved, they announced they would do whatever they can.
At the beginning of March, members of UNITE HERE Local 1 staged a rally in front of the casino and managed to make executives angry as it seemed they did not care about the inconvenience they were causing to the guests.
During the last Labor Cafe discussion aimed at providing the Notre Dame communities with information about the issues the labor is currently dealing with, union representatives revealed details about the campaign against the Ameristar Casino executives.
Dominique Wilson who is well-aware of the complicated situation related to the campaign against Ameristar and the relations between casino employees and their employers in general, commented on the matter and said that the aim of the Ameristar casino employees is to make customers boycott the venue. They believe this would help them retain their health benefits.
The boycott will continue as long as necessary until Ameristar executives agree on providing their employees with the health insurance benefits they currently receive.
What made Ameristar employees particularly discontent was the fact that Pinnacle Entertainment officials proposed a healthcare plan, according to which as much as $4,000 will be deducted from employees’ paychecks every year. The amount was regarded as purely unacceptable and many workers announced that this change will definitely affect their financial condition in a negative manner.
Ms. Wilson reassured that the members of the Union will do their best to protect any of the casinos included in the casino union from experiencing the negative consequences that have befallen Ameristar casino workers.
Ms. Wilson went on to say that Ameristar was the initiator of the boycott but Majestic Star and Bluechip were also prepared to support the venture. Actually, the outcome of the negotiations with Ameristar will determine if discussions with the other casinos are going to take place.
Pinnacle Entertainment had this kind of disagreements with unions in the past but its executives managed to deal with these issues somehow. The battle for the health insurance issue has been in progress for four years.
The next action UNITE HERE is supposed to take is starting a pledge campaign and organizing several boycotts. A massive social action is scheduled for April 25th.
