By Mike Ricketts, Hoosier Times
Times Mail
FRENCH LICK - Of the 1,520 workers at the French Lick Resort Casino, the age ranges from 16 to 72, and the jobs they do and the pay they make range just about as much.
For those serving drinks, the pay is about $4.50 an hour plus tips, said Keith Schnulle, vice president of human relations at the casino.
Cocktail waitresses are among the 600 or so other employees who rely on tips to help supplement their hourly income, Schnulle said.
Some of the others who look for tips are dealers in the casino, servers in the restaurant, valet workers and bellboys.
Positions that pay more hourly salary but don't rely on tips include spa workers and front desk employees at the hotel, with their salaries in the $8- $9-an-hour range, Schnulle said.
Currently, the resort/casino has 54 part-time workers, he added. And of the 1,475 or so full-time workers, 1,090 get a benefits package that includes eight paid holidays and 14 personal days a year, plus health benefits.
Much of the fight to get the casino approved at the Statehouse by supporters (known as Orange Shirts) hinged on better employment opportunities for Orange County, which often led the state in unemployment.
And with nearly half of the casino/resort staff residing in Orange County, the unemployment rate for the county is a percentage point better than at this time last year.
Of those 747 Orange County casino/resort workers, Schnulle said, 373 are from French Lick; 189 from Paoli; 97 from West Baden Springs; and 88 from Orleans. While a few teenagers work in jobs such as the bowling alley, gift shops and stables, most jobs at the property have a minimum age requirement of 21, Schnulle said.
And with gambling in the casino, restrictions are tight on which employees can even walk through the gate of the casino on the clock, and no employee is allowed in the casino while not working, Schnulle said.
Jerry Gleason, vice president of hospitality, cites the resort/casino as a major help to a stagnant Orange County economy.
"Millions of dollars of salary is being paid, which goes back into the community," he said. "And I know the input and support of the community (for the casino/resort) has been great. The community has been very, very supportive, so far."
Schnulle added the money has started some development such as a new Sonic restaurant, plans for a movie theater, and other restaurants, which boosts the economy and provides even more jobs in the community.
But, he said, casino and resort management and employees are not content to rest on what they've done to help the area.
Improving and being a part of the community, Schnulle said, is something the owners and the managing group of the casino/resort are determined to make happen.
Schnulle said Benchmark Hospitality, the managers of the resort/casino, has volunteered more than a 1,000 hours to community cleanup projects.
"We are very much intent on wanting our employees to be a huge part of this community," Schnulle said.