Employees at Ocean Resort Casino in New Jersey have been working on a plan to unionize almost since the venue opened last year. They are now gaining traction with their efforts and have made significant process after the New Jersey State Board of Mediation (NJSBM) gave them its approval to proceed.

The NJSBM gave the go-ahead last Thursday after verifying that the workers met the minimum requirement to join a union. According to federal law, at least 50% of a company’s workforce must agree to unionize and, in the case of Ocean, 74% of the more than 1,300 employees indicated that they were in favor of the deal.

The employees would be represented by the UNITE HERE union through its Local 54 office. That office already represents a large portion of the casino and hotel workforces in Atlantic City, with almost 8,500 employees on its list. The union targets employees such as housekeepers, cocktail servers, cooks, bartenders and other employees.

Local 54’s president, Bob McDevitt, said that the support to unionize was “overwhelming” and that the results were “really satisfying.” He added, “(Ocean Resort) acted in good faith and we’re looking forward to sitting down at the table with them.”