In recent months, labour shortages and industrial action have impacted the casino and hospitality industries worldwide, perhaps most notably in Atlantic City.
Against this backdrop, Hard Rock is planning a major pay hike totalling $100m.
The wage increases will affect 95 job classifications, including cooks, housekeepers and security, among other roles.
Staff across the company’s US hotels, casino and café locations are set to receive new starting wages between $18 and $21 per hour.
The lower sum is more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour and exceeds the United States’ highest minimum wage by $3.
Meanwhile, in Hard Rock’s home state of Florida, an entry-level team member will receive at least $8 more per hour than the Sunshine State’s current minimum wage of $10 per hour.
“My career has encompassed over four decades and I have never been involved in such a historic event,” said Jim Allen, Chairman of Hard Rock International, CEO of Seminole Gaming.
“The support the Seminole Tribe of Florida has given me to enhance the standard of living for so many people is a dream come true. We have changed people’s lives and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Hard Rock’s nationwide pay hike is ostensibly part of an “ongoing effort to honour and appreciate its workforce.”
This has included paying frontline employee bonuses during the pandemic, alongside other expanded benefits.
However, the company was rocked by the threat of strikes in Atlantic City earlier this year. Hard Rock, alongside several other AC properties, faced a walkout in July, but a last-minute deal saw the casino avoid a strike.
