Hard Rock spends $100M to raise pay for non-tipped US staff

Jim Allen, chairman and CEO of Hard Rock International, speaks during the grand opening of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City on Thursday June 28, 2018 in Atlantic City, New Jersey (Photo by Tom Briglia/ WireImage) ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Hard Rock International, the global gambling, entertainment and hospitality company, said Monday it is spending over $100 million to give significant raises to 10,000 non-tipped workers, most of them in the U.S.The raises, which include an immediate increase to a minimum starting salary of $18 to $21 an hour, are designed to help employees deal with persistent inflation, and to help the company attract and retain top talent, lessening employee turnover.Some salaried workers will receive increased merit raises as well.In some cases, workers will be getting an immediate raise of 60%.

The raises apply to 95 job classifications, including cooks, housekeepers, front desk clerks, security workers and cage cashiers."We looked at all the starting salaries of all our (front) line employees, certainly recognizing the economic conditions that have been going on," said Jim Allen, the company's chairman and CEO. "We just wanted to do something to really help out and show appreciation to our employees.

We're trying to find the highest quality employees, thanking them for their efforts and recognizing that with compensation."Hard Rock said the raises will go to half its U.S.

workforce."It will give Hard Rock a competitive advantage at a time when labor is relatively tight," said David Schwartz, a gambling historian at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "The service industry may be at a crossroads, and raising pay is one way to attract excellent employees."It comes as wages in the casino.