Gaming News

Employees upset with Pinnacle takeover

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey – As reported by the Courier-Post: "Catherine Ramminger is not a happy camper these days.

"She has less than two weeks left before she and 2,100 other Sands employees get their walking papers when the 26-year-old casino hotel closes its doors in preparation for a takeover by Pinnacle Entertainment on Nov. 17.

"But what upsets her even more is the possibility she'll receive just a week's pay as severance while she hunts for another job. That's the latest offer on the table by the Sands, according to Robert McDevitt, president of Local 54 of UNITE HERE, the union that represents hotel and restaurant employees including Ramminger. Long-term nonunion employees receive a week's pay for each year of service, with contributions from both the Sands and Pinnacle.

"Monday, the union trotted out a couple dozen of the more than 600 affected employees at the Madison Hotel to gripe prior to a negotiating session with Sands and Pinnacle Entertainment representatives. Atlantic City Councilman Gene Robinson, a former Sands employee, lent his support for the union cause.

"…McDevitt said the Sands expects the union's severance fund to substitute for an additional package. But the fund is the union equivalent of a 401(k) nonunion workers receive, he said, with tax implications and a penalty for those under 60. It's designed for retirees, not those out of a job.

"Local 54 also seeks an extension of benefits for 12 months and an agreement to cover those employees not quite ready for eligibility in the prescription retirement plan because they fall short of the mandatory age of 65…"

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