NITRO – The United Steelworkers (USW) Union, Local 14614-F8, will vote Friday, Oct. 2, on whether or not to accept Mardi Gras Casino and Resort’s most recent final offer regarding employee insurance.

“Contrary to recent reports, an agreement has not yet been reached,” Steelworkers Spokesman Ron Brady, Local 14614-F8 president, said. “Mardi Gras Casino and Resort told us Tuesday that they had modified their offer, and now our members will vote Friday on whether or not to accept that offer.”

The parties have been engaged in insurance negotiations since the first week of August. 

“While one of our concerns has been addressed in their modified offer, our employees are still facing rising premiums,” Brady noted. “The Company is seeking to drastically increase the employee’s premium contribution by over 200%, which amounts to over $1,100 per year, while the employees there haven’t had a pay raise in over three years.”

After the union voted Friday, Sept. 25, to authorize a strike, the Company offered to address the union’s concerns over their proposed language that restricted the union’s ability to bargain insurance benefits. However the Company did not change their proposed premium cost sharing amounts.

“The Union had offered to share the premium increase 50/50 with the Company, but the Company rejected the offer,” Brady said. “The Company has stated that they can afford the increases, however, they are unwilling to do so.”

Brady added, “Mardi Gras Vice President Dan Adkins recently stated that ‘some employees make 50, 60, and 70 thousand dollars a year,’ but actually less than 10% of union employees at Mardi Gras make more than $50,000 a year. The average annual income for employees is approximately $35,000 a year and this amount is inclusive of tips.”