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Study: California Casino Wages Above Minimum

HESPERIA, California – As reported by the (California) Daily Press: "Flipping a burger on a grill at a casino hotel resort can get you about nine bucks an hour, according to federal labor statistics.

"Contrary to the contentions of some critics of the proposed Indian casino, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that many of the 136 job opportunities it cites in casinos around the country pay well above California's minimum of $6.75 an hour.

"That could mean a boon to the city's residents, casino organizers say.

"'For Hesperia residents, there will be a hiring preference,' said Tom Reynolds, spokesman for the Timbisha Shoshone tribe, which would run the casino. 'And training programs will be in place.'

"Reynolds said the proposed hotel and casino promises to create about 1,000 new jobs in the area, with an annual payroll of between $40 million and $60 million. Reynolds said the Timbisha Shoshone tribe is looking to pay an average annual salary of $30,000 to $60,000.

"…The bureau reports that casino dishwashers earn an average of $10.07 an hour, or $20,950 annually, while waiters, parking valets and massage therapists make between $7.63 and $8.81 an hour, excluding tips.

"Annual casino salaries range from $15,860 — not including tips — for a parking valet, to about $130,790 for construction managers, according to bureau statistics.

"One pervasive argument made by anti-casino advocates has been that casinos supply mostly low-paying jobs with high turnover rates.

"…Another concern repeated by anti-casino groups is that workers at Indian gaming centers do not have the same rights as those who labor in non-tribal businesses…"

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