Teamsters Set Strike Deadline At Twin River Casino

LINCOLN, R.I., July 12, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Teamsters Local 251 has set a deadline for Twin River Casino to reach a fair contract or face a potential strike on Friday at 3 p.m. 

The sticking point in contract negotiations is Twin River's demand that employees be stripped of their job security.

Twin River pays parking valets as little as $4.50 an hour, plus tips. But the Casino is demanding the right to lay off all employees and subcontract their work.

The workers voted unanimously to authorize a strike.

"My job security is everything to me," said Cory Almeida. "If it takes a strike to protect our jobs, that's what we will have to do."

If the Teamsters strike, Twin River bartenders, servers, clerks, skilled maintenance and other union employees have all pledged to honor their picket lines.

A strike would cripple Twin River's operations from the casino to the Entertainment Center where the lights are supposed to go up for a Boz Scaggs concert at 8 p.m. on Friday.

A strike would impact the nearly $1 million in tax revenue generated every day at Twin River. 

"Twin River is rolling the dice and risking a strike that will hurt customers, working families and the public," said Matt Taibi, Local 251 Secretary-Treasurer. "We'll continue to do everything we can to reach a fair agreement that protects workers' job security. But we're not going to fold. If management thinks we're bluffing, they are going to find out they are playing a losing hand."

Contact:                                            
Matthew Maini, (401) 434-0454     

SOURCE Teamsters Local 251