Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming on Wednesday announced wage increases for half its U.S. workforce, for a total compensation increase of $100 million.
The increases apply to U.S. team members and new hires at company managed hotel, casino and cafe locations nationwide.
Seminole Gaming manages six Florida casinos for the Seminole Tribe of Florida, including the Seminole Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood, Fla.
In Florida, the hourly rate increase for full-time team members equates to more than $16,000 per year above the state’s minimum wage.
Nearly 100 different positions, including cooks, housekeepers, security, public space, call center received raises. “In some cases, starting wages are increasing by over 60 percent,” the companies said. “The new starting wages range between $18 and $21 an hour, with minimal exceptions.”
“This recent $100 million investment in its team members is part of an ongoing effort to honor and appreciate its workforce, which has recently included paying frontline employees bonuses during the pandemic and other expanded benefits,” Hard Rock said in a statement. “It puts Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming at the forefront of the gaming and hospitality industries, among those companies offering the most competitive wages.
Jim Allen, Chairman of Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming, said in a statement: “My career has encompassed over four decades and I have never been involved in such a historic event. 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.”
There are currently over 1,600 Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming jobs open at the new higher starting wage rates, the companies said.
Hard Rock is an British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London.
