Union valets back to work at casino, negotiations imminent

Union valet and parking attendants are back to work at the Twin River casino after a two-day strike. They walked off their jobs on Friday afternoon because of stalled contract negotiations. Matthew Maini, the Business Agent at the Teamsters Local 251 union, said that casino management originally wanted to increase the valets’ burden of healthcare costs. “That’s catastrophic for families,” Maini said. “Their cry at the valet is the same cry that you hear through the united states time and time again which is affordable health care should be a right and not a privilege. Families should not have to make the decision, ‘Do I go without medicine? Or do I have medicine?’” Maini said that the next round of negotiations are set to begin either Tuesday or Wednesday. According to him, the union will absolutely not accept a contract that allows the casino to subcontract workers from a private valet company, and they will not lower the bar on a fair healthcare compromise.