ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., Oct 01, 2004 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- A casino hotel workers union threatening a strike against 10 of the city's 12 casinos has reached tentative agreement with Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts, but was still threatening to walk off the job at seven other hotels.

Local 54 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees union reached the agreement with representatives of Trump late Thursday, averting a strike at Trump Taj Mahal, Trump Marina and Trump Plaza casinos, said union spokesman Chris Magoulas.

Those employees will vote next week on whether to ratify the agreement, the terms of which were not disclosed.

But about 10,000 members of Local 54 - from bell captains to bartenders, pastry chefs to porters - planned to walk off the job 6 a.m. Friday at Harrah's Atlantic City, Showboat Hotel-Casino, Bally's Atlantic City, Caesars Atlantic City, the Atlantic City Hilton, Resorts Atlantic City, and the Tropicana Casino and Resort.

Two casinos that have forged separate agreements with the union and were unaffected.

Talks were also held Thursday with representatives of Resorts Atlantic City but failed to produce an agreement. No more talks were scheduled.

Union members spent Thursday gearing up for the strike, which could deal a blow to New Jersey's $4.4 billion casino industry.

"It'll be pretty ugly. I'm glad I won't be here," said Kathie Stokes, 40, of Yorktown, Va., as she checked out of the Tropicana on Thursday.

The union, which represents about 17,000 workers in the city, has remained on the job since the expiration of a five-year contract Sept. 15, promising to strike Oct. 1 if no new contract was reached.

At issue is the practice of subcontracting by casinos, which lease space to restaurants and bars without requiring them to use union workers.

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