Workers at Bally’s Hard Rock in Biloxi voted to join Teamsters Local 891

Sixty-six workers at Bally’s Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Biloxi, including casino cage and banking staff, front desk employees, and cashiers, voted to join Teamsters Local 891 as they seek higher wages, expanded benefits, and stronger job protections. The decision passed by a majority vote and marked the group’s first step toward formal representation in bargaining with the employer.

Workers say they expect union membership to give them real leverage over working conditions. In their view, without an organized structure, an individual worker’s voice is easily drowned out in the corporate hierarchy.

“We need a real voice at work”

Daphnia Lyons, a Hard Rock front desk employee and a new Local 891 member, commented on the vote results.

“We joined the Teamsters to have a real voice at work and to fight for what we deserve. We work hard, and it’s long past time to get the respect and pay that match that,” Lyons said.

The union is preparing for first-contract negotiations

Jimmy Pinkard, president of Local 891, emphasized that the organizing win opens a concrete path to improving conditions for the new members.

“We’re proud to welcome these hardworking people into our union. This organizing win is a big step forward, and we’re ready to help workers secure their first collective bargaining agreement,” Pinkard said.

How realistic are pay raises amid the downturn?

Still, the prospects for pay raises remain in question. Mississippi’s land-based casinos have recorded declining foot traffic in recent years, and Biloxi is no exception. One reason is the rapid growth of the iGaming industry, which is drawing players online. 

The ability to spin a slot or sit down at a poker table without leaving home, access to thousands of games, and generous no-deposit bonuses create conditions that physical properties struggle to compete with. In Canada, for example, the online casino market has grown so much that players choose a platform based on directories of no-deposit bonuses, where offers with free spins and bonus cash for registration are collected. For land-based venues, this means lower revenue—and therefore less room at the bargaining table for unions seeking better conditions for staff. That is why the outcome of Local 891’s upcoming negotiations with Bally’s Corporation will be closely watched across the industry.

Property owner and operator

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Biloxi is owned and operated by Bally’s Corporation. It is with this company that the union will have to negotiate a contract.

Teamsters expands its footprint in the casino industry nationwide

The new members from Biloxi join more than 6,000 casino workers across the United States represented by the union. For the Teamsters, the Mississippi vote result was another confirmation of the organization’s growing influence in the gaming industry.

The union’s organizing push in the sector is expanding on several fronts:

• growth in the number of locals in Southern states, where the labor movement has historically been weaker;
• recruiting frontline casino workers who previously lacked collective representation;
• building a foundation for first contracts in new locations.

Tommy Blitch, director of the Teamsters’ Convention, Trade Show and Casino Division, assessed the vote results.

“This is another convincing organizing win for our union, strengthening an undeniable track record of success in the casino industry. The Teamsters are growing in Mississippi because we take action and deliver results for workers. And we’re just getting started,” Blitch said.