WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES MARCH 18, 2021 13
BY FIORE ROMAN, ANNIE RAMKIRATH
AND NATHAN MCFARLANE
Not all jobs are created equally.
That’s a lesson that we have
learned the hard way. Parttime
positions with no health insurance,
being forced to live paycheckto
paycheck, not being able to make
enough to get by on a daily basis let
alone save and plan for the future —
that’s the collective experience we,
like a lot of other working New Yorkers,
shared.
But that all changed when we got
our jobs with Resorts World New
York City. Now, we make familysustaining
salaries of about $70,000
per year, with cost-free, high-quality
healthcare and defi ned pension plans.
And we fi nally have the ability to save
money and plan for the unforeseen
events that life always seems to throw
your way at the worst times. Combined
with the strongest workplace
protections in the industry thanks
to our union contract, our jobs at
Resorts World are truly unique and
game-changing for our families.
We know we’re lucky. Throughout
this pandemic, we’ve seen family
members, friends and other people
in our communities get laid off . We’ve
seen friends have their paychecks
take drastic cuts due to having their
hours reduced. And we’ve heard the
horror stories from them about seeing
their healthcare disappear, even
as the neighborhoods where we live
have been some of the hardest hit by
COVID-19.
As employees of Resorts World
New York City, we can see the doors
that would open for so many people
if existing facilities like ours were
allowed to grow into a full-scale casino.
It’s even more exciting to know
that many of those people would look
like us, as most of Resorts World’s
employees are people of color. Additionally,
with a commitment to hire
in and around the area, we know a
majority of these positions would be
fi lled by friends and neighbors, rather
than those coming from outside the
community.
These workers would also have a
union that would stand up for them,
and in this moment, where we’ve seen
a growing divide between protections
afforded to union and non-union
workers, having a union can mean
all the diff erence in the world.
They would have job security and
they wouldn’t have to worry about
when their next paycheck was coming
in and whether it would cover all
their expenses.
When we were asked to share our
stories to show lawmakers why the
state and New York families would
signifi cantly benefi t from accelerating
the growth of existing gaming
facilities like Resorts World, we were
happy to, because we’ve seen how
positively our jobs have impacted
our lives, and our hope is that more
people like us can benefi t and reap the
rewards of new good-paying union
jobs.
Sometimes it’s hard to truly understand
the impact of what a good union
job means to a family’s stability and
survivability unless you see it for
yourself.
Well, look no further than these
words because while they come from
just three workers among many,
it could be many more if the state
allowed for an acceleration of the
growth of existing gaming facilities
like Resorts World.
“With the income I’m making
now, my life changed a lot. I’m able
to support my son by myself. We’ve
got health insurance. I’m able to put
money away for my son’s college.
Those things I couldn’t do before
making $8 an hour.” - Fiore Roman,
VIP ambassador, Resorts World New
York City
“I remember what it was like
before I started at Resorts World in
Queens. No healthcare. Bills piling
up. Resorts World changed that. My
salary doubled. My whole family is
covered. We could fi nally pay our
bills. And we kept it all during COVID.
Resorts World – they’re doing so
much for Queens, my family and this
city.” - Annie Ramkirath, food and
beverage manager, Resorts World
New York City
“Today, I make over $70,000 a year.
Being able to provide for my children
– it’s been everything to me. We have
healthcare, an awesome pension plan,
our funds are stacking up for when
we’re ready to retire. Expanding a
facility like Resorts World, it’s gonna
off er more jobs for the community.”
- Nathan McFarlane, slot attendant,
Resorts World New York City
We are fortunate and we are thankful
for the good-paying union jobs we
have. We would like that success to be
felt by other families too because allowing
for the growth of existing gaming
facilities now can be the shot in the arm
we need we all need in this COVID moment.
And we urge the state to make
the right decision and take action.
Fiore Roman, Annie Ramkirath and
Nathan McFarlane are all employees of
Resorts World New York City. They’re
currently featured in a social media
campaign aimed at raising awareness
of the critical role Resorts World New
York City plays in good paying union
job creation, economic opportunity
and revenue generation for New York’s
public schools.
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PHOTO SUBMITTED BY LEANN BUGARIN
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OP-ED
Accelerated growth of Resorts World New York
City brings game-changing jobs to Queens
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