Twin River, Union Agree to Cover Dealers' Health Insurance Through June, After Casino Cut Hours

Twin River, Union Agree to Cover Dealers' Health Insurance Through June, After Casino Cut Hours

The owners of Twin River Casino Hotel and officials from the Laborers Local Union 711 have agreed to jointly fund healthcare insurance for previously eligible casino table game dealers who are no longer working full-time due to the reduced hours of casino operations brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The announcement comes after Twin River cut back the hours — and healthcare benefits — for over 180 dealers in January, stating that reductions were due to the impact of the state’s COVID-19 restrictions.

Twin River employee Jennifer Romanov criticized the decision at the time. 

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“186 dealers found out we’re losing our Blue Cross on February 1,” she said. “We're apart of LIUNA 711 [Laborers' International Union of North America]. Our contract expired in June of last year but we were told due to COVID, they haven't been able to negotiate." 

Monday's Healthcare Announcement

On Monday, the parties announced they reached an agreement to ensure continued coverage for qualified members through June 30, 2021.

“With our hours of operation and gaming positions reduced by the State due to Covid-19 restrictions, some of our full-time dealers simply could not get enough shifts, dropping them to part-time status,” said Craig Sculos, Vice President and General Manager of Twin River Casino Hotel. 

Sculos noted that the slot machines returned to 24/7 operations this past weekend. Table games will operate on a 24/7 basis effective this coming Thursday, February 4th. Many services continue to remain off line, however, including valet, live entertainment, the Event Center, the two hotels and some food and beverage operations.