STRIKE ENDS AT CAESARS SOUTHERN INDIANA WITH HISTORIC CONTRACT
On Sunday, April 27th, 2025, members of Teamsters Local 89 and Operating Engineers Local 399 working at Caesars Southern Indiana ratified their new five-year contract by an overwhelming majority, bringing a thirteen-day strike to an end. Members will be returning to work on their next regular shift beginning on Monday, April 28th, 2025.
This historic new contract contains significant improvements over the previous agreement in almost every major section and will serve as a new foundation for our members going forward.
Teamsters Local 89 and all our members at Caesars Southern Indiana want to express our deepest appreciation for the amazing outpouring of support from the community. We estimate that over half of the usual guests stood in solidarity with our members and refused to patronize the casino during the strike.
Guests, union members, politicians and community supporters visited the picket line every single day of the strike and often brought supplies with them. Morale on our picket line never wavered, and in fact only grew stronger as the strike went on. We played music, watched movies, played video games, ate well, and learned more about one another. When the strike began our members at Caesars Southern Indiana were determined to send a message that they were done being mistreated, and that they were willing to take a stand and fight – but many of them didn’t know each other due to different shifts, schedules or departments. But on the picket line new friendships were born, and true comradery was built that will last forever. They are now a true union family, forged in thunder and lightning, and stronger than ever before.
We would like to express our deepest thanks to everyone who was involved in this fight, including but certainly not limited to; Local 89 President Avral Thompson, Local 89 Secretary-Treasurer Jeff Cooper, Local 89 General Counsel Cody Hibbard, IBT General President Sean O’Brien, IBT General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman, IBT Tradeshow and Casino Division Director Tommy Blitsch and co-director Veronica Sawyer, IBT General Counsel David Suetholz, the IBT Strategic Initiatives Department, all our Local 89 Agents and Staff who have taken shifts on the picket line, and many, many more.
We want to congratulate and thank our Caesars Southern Indiana negotiating committee including Business Agent and Chair Bryan Trafford, Business Agent and Co-Chair Stephen Piercey, and rank-and-file committee members Heather Emily, Leslie Ingram, Melissa Sillings, Randy Rowley, Sandra Ramirez, Taylor Colin, Soja Hoppes and Tiffany Kelly. Their dedication to fighting for and winning a historic contract for their co-workers was a testament to the solidarity the Teamsters union strives to uphold.
We also want to thank our partners in Operating Engineers Local 399 and their members that served on the negotiating committee, and those that held the line shoulder to shoulder with our members. And a special thank you to Local 399’s representative Zach Perry who co-chaired negotiations with us. His passion and dedication to his members is unmatched, and his solidarity and support throughout this process was a major factor in winning this historic contract.
Now that the dust has settled and the strike has ended with a powerful new contract, we want to encourage all the Caesars Southern Indiana guests who have been honoring our picket line to return to the Casino, have a great time, re-connect with our members who have always provided such amazing service, and remember to tip them well when you win! It’s good luck to honor a picket line, so we hope you all win big when you return!
Economic highlights of the new Caesars Southern Indiana contract include –
- $5 dollars in annual increases over the life of the contract – a historic leap forward that is nearly double the previous ten years of raises combined.
- The Company agrees to participate in the Teamsters National 401(k) plan, and will automatically contribute an amount equal to 2% of an employee’s eligible compensation for all employees covered by the contract. The company will also match up to 50% of an employee’s voluntary contributions up to 2%.
- $1500 dollar ratification bonus.
- Economic improvements retroactive to February 1, 2025.
- The right to carry raises between departments when transferring.
- Continued union healthcare with the option to utilize a higher tier plan.
- Overhauled certification pay for Cage employees.
- Standardized and improved lead pay.
- Memorial day added as a holiday.
- Increases to starting pay in 2025, 2027 and 2029.
- And more!
Non-Economic highlights of the new Caesars Southern Indiana contract include -
- Dramatically strengthened strike and picket line protections.
- Improvements to disciplinary language in multiple sections of the contract.
- Improvements to transfer and promotion language.
- New language with protections against technological changes that could impact work or jobs.
- A Union Representative must now be present any time a supervisor manager or security person interviews an employee for disciplinary reasons or in a fact-finding interview which may reasonably lead to discipline.
- Schedules cannot be shifted more than one hour in either direction once they are posted, Company’s ability to reduce workweek without limitations has been removed.
- Significant grievance procedure improvements- company must give their response within 10 calendar days of a second step grievance hearing, mediation has been added as an optional step and further changes are included in a new Letter of Agreement that replaces arbitration with a grievance panel committee for the first year of the contract, with the possibility of it becoming permanent.
- Language added that ensures the Company cannot use subcontractors to reduce work for our members. The list of subcontractors has also been updated and will be attached to the end of the contract as Exhibit 1.
- Significant pro-worker improvements were made to Management Rights, including greatly narrowing the ability of supervisors to perform work.
- New language added concerning mutual respect with the intent of eliminating harassment from supervisors, and gives members recourse through the grievance process if they don’t believe the Company has addressed issues.
- New language making it easier for non-union departments to organize.
- And more!
