About 200 members of the United Steelworkers Union Local 14614-F9 have rejected a new health insurance proposal from management at Mardi Gras Casino in Cross Lanes, West Virginia and voted to go on strike against the casino. Previously, Mardi Gras paid 90 percent of workers’ health insurance premiums, but the change will require employees to pay 75 percent.
Union representative Heather Anderson said, “We understand healthcare costs are expensive. The union’s last proposal on the table was an 80-20 split. The union realizes there is some give and take. We have made a proposal that it would be 80-20, but the company is sticking to 75-25 at this time. There’s still the other big concern out there, which is the increase to employee contributions. It’s actually an increase of over $1,100 a year for the employees from what we currently pay now.”
Casino management and union members have been negotiating amendments to employee insurance policies since the first week of August.
In addition, union local President Ron Brady said the new contract language effectively eliminates any employee bargaining power over insurance changes and costs. “If we have to strike we’ll give our strike notice, we’ll go out and we’ll stay as long as it takes,” Brady said.
