Atlantic City Workers Approve New Pact

Some 10,000 striking Atlantic City casino workers have approved a new five-year agreement that the Unite Here union is calling the best contract in the history of the gaming industry. The contract includes a 28-percent increase in wages and benefits over the life of the agreement, and provides protection against subcontracting.

Meanwhile, 4,000 members of the same union remain on strike against 14 downtown hotels in San Francisco. Besides wages and health benefits, the workers are pushing for a two-year contract that would expire at the same time as hotel worker contracts in six other cities. The strategy is intended to put the unionized workers in a better position to negotiate with the national hotel chains.

According to Unite Here, the Atlantic City agreement calls for a 91-percent increase in employer health care contributions, a 51-percent rise in pension contributions and protection from job losses due to subcontracting. The casino workers had been on strike against seven casinos since Oct. 1.

The San Francisco hotel workers remain locked out by the San Francisco Multi-Employer Group, which represents the 14 unionized hotels. The group in late October turned down a proposal by the city's mayor for a 90-day cooling-off period. As a result, the American Anthropological Assn. moved its annual meeting for 5,000 members from San Francisco to Atlanta.