Gambling attendees at Rivers Casino Portsmouth join Teamsters union — CDC Gaming reports

Attendees at Rivers Casino in Portsmouth, Virginia, voted to join Teamsters Local 882. The agreement was announced Wednesday.

“I congratulate this group of workers on their decision to organize and become members of Teamsters Local 822,” Teamsters Local 822 President and International Vice President At-Large James Wright said in a statement. “We look forward to negotiating their first contract.”

The decision is seen as an organizational victory for the Teamsters in Virginia’s first permanent full-service casino, which opened in January 2023.

“We felt the need to organize with the Teamsters in order to secure good wages and benefits, and to have a say in our future,” said Tatar McCarver, a gambling attendee at Rivers Casino. “We are joining a strong union that will negotiate a good contract and the rights we deserve.”

Portsmouth’s slot machine operators join more than 5,000 casino operators across the country and are represented by the Teamsters. Teamsters Local 822 represents more than 3,000 workers in a variety of industries in Virginia’s Tidewater region.