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<p>The head of New York’s casino union is living like a high roller while his lieutenants allegedly raked in luxury goods.</p>
<p>New York Hotel Gaming and Trades Council President Rich Maroko made $923,053 in 2024, according to publicly available financial disclosures reviewed by the <a href="https://richierichmaroko.com/meet-richie-rich-maroko/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Center For Union Facts. </a>That near-million-dollar salary includes $313,386 in base salary, $380,108 things like retirement benefits, and $229,559 from other organizations.</p>
<p>Under Maroko’s leadership, union higher ups have been accused of rampant corruption. A group of New York City hotel owners last month retained a private investigator to probe a whistleblower’s claim that the union was shot through with “corruption, misconduct and malfeasance.”</p>
<p>“The whistleblower alleges union officials received free gifts of liquor, gourmet food and electronics including an Xbox and PlayStation from hotel-industry executives,” Crain’s New York Business <a href="https://www.crainsnewyork.com/real-estate/commercial/cny-hotel-owners-investigate-whistblower-claims-20260521/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. “The letter further alleges that union officials defrauded UNITE HERE Local 6, a Midtown-based chapter of the union, out of nearly $3 million by paying below-market rent for Eighth Avenue office space it owned.”</p>
<p>The New York Hotel Gaming and Trades Council is the latest union to come under fire for profligate spending and alleged corruption. In 2024, the International Longshoremen’s Association was slammed for a strike that shut down ports up and down the East Coast. Association president Harold Daggett emerged as a villain in that saga, thanks to his million-dollar salary, luxury yacht, contributions to Democrats, and alleged mafia ties, as The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dock-workers-sound-off-as-they-hit-picket-lines-in-massive-strike?author=Mairead+Elordi&;category=News&;elementPosition=undefined&;row=0&;rowType=Vertical+List&;title=Dock+Workers+Sound+Off+As+They+Hit+Picket+Lines+In+Massive+Strike" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> at the time.</p>
<p>The Center For Union Facts is calling attention to Maroko’s pay raise as unions across the country use the World Cup to hike labor costs. That includes hotel workers in <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/business/local-business/seattle-hotel-workers-authorize-strike-ahead-of-the-fifa-world-cup/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Seattle</a> and <a href="https://peoplesworld.org/article/union-uses-world-cup-as-leverage-vs-ice-and-for-strike-votes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia</a>, as well as stadium workers in <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/06/08/nx-s1-5849249/sofi-stadium-workers-could-go-on-strike-ahead-of-first-world-cup-match-in-los-angeles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles.</a></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-world-cup-is-supposed-to-boost-the-economy-the-reality-looks-different" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MI X DW: BIGGEST EVENT ON EARTH COMES WITH A $150 GUT PUNCH</a></strong></p>
<p>“Hotel workers may believe they’re receiving a World Cup windfall,” said Charlyce Bozzello, the group’s communications director. “But from where we sit, Maroko is the one hitting the jackpot,”</p>
<p>“Union members deserve transparency about the lucrative compensation package they’re being asked to fund.”</p>
<p>The union recently enjoyed some positive press following its announcement of a massive new pay package for members. But even with that jump, members still fall far behind the brass. Workers made $38.87 per hour on average in 2024, about 570% less than Maroko.</p>
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<br /><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-york-casino-union-leaders-hit-the-jackpot-while-workers-bust">Source link </a></p>
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New York Casino Union Leaders Hit The Jackpot While Workers Bust
