Earlier this week, Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming announced pay increases for half their U.S. workforce.
The increase applies to U.S. team members and new employees managed by the company at hotels, casinos, and cafe stores across the country.
95 occupations, including chefs, housekeepers, security, public places, and call centers, are most affected. In some cases, the starting wage is increased by more than 60%. The new starting wage is between $18 and $21 an hour with minimal exceptions, more than 2.5 times the federal minimum wage and exceeding the minimum wage for each U.S. state.
For example, a new team member in Florida will be paid between $8 and $11 per hour, compared to the current minimum wage of $10 per hour in Florida. The hourly wage increase for full-time team members equates to more than $16,000 a year above the state minimum wage, a potentially life-changing wage increase for thousands of new team members.
The recent $100 million investment in team members is part of an ongoing effort to honor and audit personnel, including paying bonuses and other expanded benefits for frontline employees during the recent pandemic. Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming are at the forefront of the gaming and hospitality industry among the most competitive wage providers.
"My career has been over 40 years and I have never been involved in such a historic event. The support the Seminole Tribe in Florida has given me to improve the living standards of so many people is a dream come true. We've changed people's lives and I'm proud to be a part of it," said Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International, CEO of Seminole Gaming.
Seminole Gaming manages six Florida casinos for the Florida Seminole Tribe: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Seminole Casino Brighton, Seminole Classic Casino, Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, and Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee.
Over the past few years, Forbes has used Hard Rock as the best employer for women, the best employer for new graduates, the employer for diversity, Recognized as one of the top U.S. employers in the entertainment and hospitality industries. In addition, Seminole Hard Rock and Hard Rock online casinos won the Employer of Choice Award in the 2022 Casino Game Management Satisfaction Survey. Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming continue to invest in programs that support and empower team members' professional career growth by offering unique benefits such as tuition refunds and mentoring for women.