Deal Ends R.I. Casino Strike After 3 Minutes

June 13, 2017 
By Steven Wishnia and Neal Tepel

Lincoln, RI, – A wee-hours strike by workers at the Twin River Casino June 9 ended after about three minutes when casino officials and UNITE HERE Local 26 announced a tentative settlement agreement.

The more than 300 food and beverage workers had voted almost unanimously on June 8 to strike, trying to win back health benefits management had cut in January. Workers quoted by Local 26 said those cuts more than doubled deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums, to the point where a family insurance plan would cost more than $900 a month and as “one-third of our income goes to the cost of family health care.” Local 26 President Brian Lang told WJAR-TV that the union was holding back details until the membership gets to review the agreement, but “we feel very good about it.”