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- By Native News Online Staff
WAYLAND, Mich. — Gun Lake Casino, located halfway between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, Mich., is raising its minimum starting wage to $14 per hour, which represents more than a 30 percent increase, beginning June 1, 2021.
The starting wage of all tipped positions has been raised to $7.40 per hour plus tips.
Gun Lake Casino is a premier employer in West Michigan, proudly providing career opportunities to nearly 1,000 current employees. Owned and operated by the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi, commonly known as the Gun Lake Tribe, the Gun Lake Casino has been recognized as “West Michigan’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For” by the National Association for Business Resources for the past two years.
The award for the past year is meaningful because the Gun Lake Casino voluntarily closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic and team members saw many changes in the work environment to safeguard the health and safety of the staff, patrons and community.
“The Gun Lake Tribe recognizes that the past year has presented all of our Team Members with unique circumstances and an ever-changing environment,” Bob Peters, tribal chairman of the Gun Lake Tribe, said. “We are proud of our team members for pushing through every challenge while continuing to provide superior service and maintain a safe environment. On behalf of our Tribal Council, and all of our Tribal Citizens, I say a heartfelt thank you to the Gun Lake Casino team. We are honored to provide the team with these well-deserved compensation increases.”
“We recognize the value of recruiting and retaining top-tier talent at all levels of our organization. Providing the best starting wage in the area will continue to solidify our mission and demonstrate the appreciation we have for our valued team members,” said Sal Semola, president and chief operating officer.
“I applaud the Gun Lake Tribe for the continued investment into the local community and for their dedication to preserving Gun Lake Casino as a leading employer in the region.”
The increase in starting pay for employees comes as the casino has begun ramping up for the grand opening of a $100 million expansion, scheduled to open at the end of summer 2021.
Gun Lake Casino will host three recruitment events in June to fill positions needed with anticipation of the expansion. The interviews will focus on open positions for multiple departments including, food and beverage, table games, slots, cage, operations, and security.
On Wednesday, June 2 a hiring event will occur at the Four Points Hotel by Sheraton, located at 3600 East Cork Street Court, Kalamazoo, MI 49001. Open interviews will take place from 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
The second recruitment event will occur on Saturday, June 5, in Gun Lake Casino’s Administrative parking lot, located at 1123 129th Avenue, Wayland, MI 49348. Candidates can participate in open interviews from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
A third recruitment event will take place on Tuesday, June 15 at the Downtown Market, located at 435 Ionia Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. Open interviews will take place from 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
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