In 2020, casino workers won vital COVID-19 protections including paid pandemic leave and a 2.8 million hardship fund, while continuing to grow their industrial strength with two-thirds of new Crown Sydney workers joining the union. Their collective action made wealthy employers take responsibility for workers during the crisis instead of abandoning them.
When COVID-19 sent shockwaves through the gambling industry, casino workers across multiple states refused to let bosses abandon them during the crisis. Through coordinated union campaigns at both The Star and Crown, our members won crucial protections including paid pandemic leave, two weeks’ pay for stood-down workers, and forced The Star to establish a $2.8 million hardship fund supporting over 600 workers locked out of federal assistance.
While other companies left workers to fend for themselves, members of our union at major casinos made it clear they wouldn’t bear the burden alone. Their industrial muscle made Crown and The Star among the first companies in Australia to provide comprehensive pandemic protections. The campaign ensured workers could keep food on the table and meet basic needs during unprecedented shutdowns.
Even during the crisis, workers kept building power – at the newly opened Crown Sydney, an impressive two-thirds of the initial 150-person workforce joined our union. It proved that even during a pandemic, organised workers could force profitable companies to protect their workforce.