More than 70 employees at Augustine Casino in Coachella, California recently received a surprise lump-sum payment for their work in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Augustine Casino was the first in the Coachella Valley to close in March 2020 due to the rise in Covid-19 cases and the last to reopen, in June 2020.
The tribal council of the Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians voted to give tribal government and casino food and beverage, housekeeping and guest-services employees an additional $10 for each hour worked in 2020, “one of the most difficult years in recent memory,” according to an official tribal statement. The workers each received one-time incremental “hero pay” paycheck, with retroactive pay ranging from several hundred dollars to $19,000. The money came from the Coronavirus State & Tribal Fiscal Recovery Fund, part of the American Rescue Plan Act signed into law by President Joe Biden in March.
Amanda Vance, chairperson of Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians, commented, “Our team members were on the front lines for us, working hard to keep us all safe, to keep the business running and to protect our guests. They deserve our deepest gratitude, and we are thrilled to be able to compensate them for their dedication.”
The casino still enforces strict health and sanitization requirements, including face masks, temperature checks, no indoor smoking, no buffet and closing nightly for five hours for deep cleaning.
