Atlantic City Union Secures Deals With All Nine Casinos
Unite Here Local 54, the union representing Atlantic City's casino workforce, reached a new labour agreement with Bally's Atlantic City on Tuesday, August 26, 2026, completing a round of contract talks that now covers all nine of the city's casino properties.
Every deal struck in this cycle, including Bally's, runs for one year rather than the four-year term that has been standard practice for the union in previous negotiations.
Local 54 president Donna DeCaprio confirmed the shift and said the union and the casinos agreed a one-year contract with a 2.5% pay rise made more sense than locking in a longer deal given the uncertainty facing the market.
One-Year Deals Over The Usual Four
"We are proud of our negotiating committee, our members and our staff who stood up and fought to maintain and improve the contractual pay, benefit and employment standards that make these jobs good union jobs," DeCaprio said. "We also recognize the Atlantic City casino employers for acknowledging and respecting the hard work of our members and the value they bring to Atlantic City's casinos every day."
The Bally's agreement is set for a ratification vote by union members on Wednesday, September 2, 2026. It was the last of the nine deals to close, following contracts reached earlier in August with properties including Golden Nugget Atlantic City, whose workers approved their own one-year deal on August 21.
DeCaprio pointed to New York's incoming casino expansion as the central risk facing Atlantic City's online casino and land-based operators alike over the life of the new contracts. "The expansion of gaming in New York will create additional competitive pressure on the Atlantic City market," she said. "At the same time, the local economy remains under stress, while the continued growth of prediction markets, operations that we believe are illegally competing with regulated gaming, presents a serious concern for Atlantic City's casino industry and its workforce."
New York Competition Casts A Shadow
A report from an Atlantic County business development group, cited in Press of Atlantic City's coverage of the deal, calculated that 5,000 of Atlantic City's 21,000 casino jobs could be lost as a result of New York casino competition, inflation and other pressures on the market. The Atlantic County Economic Alliance estimated the losses could exceed 8,000 jobs if two further in-state casinos proposed for the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford and Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport also proceed.
Other headwinds cited around the negotiations include a renewed push in the New Jersey Legislature to put North Jersey casino licences to a statewide vote, persistent inflation and high fuel prices deterring some visitors, the prospect of a court-imposed smoking ban inside the casinos, and possible changes to how casino revenue is taxed and distributed.
"These challenges make it more important than ever that Atlantic City remains a strong, competitive gaming destination with good union jobs and high standards," DeCaprio said. "Our work does not end with this extension. We will use the coming year to prepare, organize and build the strength necessary to protect the standards that we have fought so hard to establish. We are ready for the fight ahead."
The new contracts all expire on May 31, 2027, and DeCaprio said bargaining on the next round is likely to begin in February or March next year, giving both sides a shorter runway than usual to prepare for talks against a backdrop of new competition from across the Hudson.
