ATLANTIC CITY, N.J – The union representing about 17,000 casino hotel workers extended contract negotiations Friday until Oct. 1, averting a possible strike one day before Atlantic City hosts the Miss America (search) pageant.
Local 54 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union (search) has been working without a contract since midnight Tuesday. Union members have voted to authorize a strike, but one has not been called.
"If we don't settle by Oct. 1, we will definitely go on strike," said Al Tabei, a member of the union's executive board and the contract committee.
The union represents bartenders, cooks, cocktail servers, housekeepers and other rank-and-file casino employees. The group is embroiled in a dispute with the casinos over the use of nonunion subcontractors in casino restaurants and bars.
The union last struck in 1999 with a three-day walkout that forced casinos to curtail some services and put executives and managers to work in the vacated jobs.
The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa (search) is the only one of the city's 12 casinos unaffected by the dispute. It signed a four-year contract with Local 54 in 2003.
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.