After a strike was authorized against the casino by a union member vote, the Mardi Gras Casino and Resort in Cross Lanes, West Virginia. may soon reach an agreement with employees on the subject of health insurance. In a press release earlier in the week, officials of the casino stated they had finished up talks with union representatives in regards to contract changes. The talks come just one week after the members of the union voted to strike against the casino.
According to the Corporate Senior Executive Vice President of the casino, Dan Adkins, even though the concerns of the union have not been completely alleviated, management officials did agree to remove language from the contract about insurance that was worrying to union members. Essentially, language was removed that gave the casino the option to change elements of the policy terms until the policy expires. According to Adkins, the casino had mirrored language from federal law but the union did not understand the terms, so changes were made for better understanding.
The union has struggled to find compromise with the casino company’s proposal of health insurance changes in regards to premiums. The business currently pays 90% of health care benefits for their employees. The casino proposed 75% in coverage with the union countering with 80%.
The casino plans on modifying their proposal and sharing it with the union members with a vote to be held for approval. If the members agree to the changes, the new health insurance premium coverage could be implemented as soon as October’s first pay period.
Editor’s Note: In a previous version of this story we incorrectly named Mardi Gras Casino in Hallandale, Florida as the subject property.