Elected Officials Comment on Resorts World Contract
The news that 1,375 workers at the Resorts World racino in Queens had a contract received wide attention in the media. Much of that attention was due to the fact that the contract nearly doubled wages immediately and will nearly triple wages by 2016. The contract was also featured in television ads urging a yes vote for casino gaming in New York, showing that Resorts World workers had good-paying jobs with benefits. The voters of New York obviously agreed. But in addition to all the media attention, the contract at Resorts World also drew comments from a number of elected officials.
As an example, New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio had this to say about the contract at Resorts World: “We need to make sure that we’re creating good jobs that allow workers to support themselves and their families. This agreement does just that and helps to move more New Yorkers into the middle class.”
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver readily agreed that the deal was a good one for workers, saying, “This is an outstanding agreement for the people of New York City and these workers. Growing and strengthening our middle class is vitally important, and I hope that these same types of agreements can be reached at facilities in other areas of the state after voters approve the casino gambling amendment in November. This deal shows that working together, we can create good middle-class jobs in Queens and it serves as a reminder that we can do the same for future facilities upstate. This is a win-win for all New Yorkers.”
There was bipartisan praise for the Resorts World contract. Senate Majority Co-Leader Dean G. Skelos, one of the most prominent Republicans in New York State, said, “This contract agreement will mean better-paying jobs for local workers, created by a well-run, profitable, private sector business. It’s the kind of economic development that New York needs.”
Senate Majority Coalition Leader Jeff Klein added, “This is a great day for workers statewide and I applaud the Hotel Trades Council and Resorts World for negotiating a deal that both creates and retains good paying jobs here in New York. Under this agreement, Resorts World employees will be treated with the respect they deserve, by providing them with fair pay and good benefits in exchange for an honest, hard day’s work. By lifting 1,400 New York families out of poverty, this contract is yet another example of the clear economic benefits New York stands to gain by approving gaming statewide.”
State Senator John Bonacic said, “This agreement is proof positive of the real, permanent jobs associated with gaming. I look forward to seeing thousands of jobs upstate earning these types of wages. I want to once again commend Governor Cuomo for his leadership in bringing the gaming proposal forward and urge voters to vote yes on Proposal 1 — the casino amendment — for more jobs, more aid to our schools, and property tax relief.”
State Senator Joe Addabbo , whose district is in Queens, said, “Today we are not only adding 1,400 families to New York City’s middle class but also generating millions of dollars in economic activity for the Borough of Queens. This is exactly the kind of contract casino operators in the Southern Tier, Capital Region, the Catskills and Hudson Valley as well as other gaming employers, like NYRA, must agree to.”
New York City Councilman Eric Ulrich said, “Resorts World has already been a great community partner and this agreement signals Genting’s strong commitment to creating good, local middle-class jobs in our neighborhoods.”
Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder said, “This announcement is a boon for the residents and small businesses of southern Queens and Rockaway. This deal will not only create more jobs for our middle class families, but is the key for the future success of our communities that are still recovering a year after Sandy. This agreement will be the blueprint for labor agreements for casino and gaming employers, like NYRA, moving forward.”
It is rare when an event draws such a positive consensus from both sides of the political aisle, but the Resorts World contract did exactly that. It is clear evidence of the outstanding nature of the contract there and the hard work of Peter Ward, the Union and its staff, and the Resorts World workers themselves, in making the agreement a reality and lifting almost 1,400 workers into the middle class in the blink of an eye.
