Foxwoods MA Promises 3,000 Jobs, Hiring Preference for Milford Region

The Foxwoods Massachusetts casino would bring 3,000 permanent jobs to Milford, the developer said Thursday, a number that would make the proposed gaming resort the town's second-largest employer.

But beyond the dollar amounts associated with the jobs, the sheer number would vault the casino over all employers in Milford but Waters Corp.

Waters, based in Milford, employs more than 5,000 people according to its website. The company designs and manufactures liquid chromatography and chemistry products, mass spectrometry systems, and thermal analysis and rheometry instruments. 

Other top employers in Milford include Milford Regional Medical Center, now the second-largest private employer, which has 1,600 full- and part-time employees, a spokeswoman said Thursday.

Milford Public Schools is the largest public employer, with 721 full- and part-time staff, said Superintendent Robert Tremblay.

Other large employers include Milton CAT, Consigli Construction, Evergreen Center, and Benjamin Moore distribution center, according to state labor data.

In a telephone interview, Scott Butera, CEO of Foxwoods Resort Casino, the primary partner in the Foxwoods Massachusetts casino application, said the jobs that would come to Milford would be in a wide range of positions.

The casino in Connecticut has more than 7,000 employees in 800 kinds of positions, Butera said, from grounds maintenance and building maintenance to gaming floor positions and management and support functions. The associated hotels and restaurants will all have jobs as well, he said.

When the restaurants or hotels are leased out to independent corporations, the contracts require that the benefits and salaries for those employees are similar to Foxwoods, he said.

In Milford, he said, most of the 3,000 permanent jobs will be full-time. The spread of jobs will be similar to the Foxwoods resort, although the number will be smaller.

"There is a wide variety of jobs in a casino that cater to a wide range of skill sets," he said.

The hiring preference for Milford area residents will play out in several ways, he said. The job fairs will all be held in town, and the majority of the workers are expected to be hired within 30 to 40 miles of Milford, which is what he said is the case for Foxwoods Resort Casino, based in Ledyard, CT.

The purchasing also will be made locally, he said.

In hiring decisions, he said, if there is a qualified Milford candidate, that person will get the job.

"Our jobs are very high-paying jobs," he said. Most employees make $50,000 or more, he said, despite what critics, have described as tips-dependent positions. In its report to Milford Selectmen, Casino Free Milford reported that 81 percent of the jobs at Foxwoods paid $29,000 or less. [See attached PDF]

Butera disputes these figures.

Many of the tips-dependent employees at Foxwoods make at least $50,000, he said.

"It's a big misnomer that these are not well-paying jobs," he said. "... They can be very lucrative."

Foxwoods Massachusetts proposes to build a casino on 200-plus acres near I-495 and Route 16 in Milford, close to the Holliston line. The application is one of three before the Massachusetts Gaming Commission for the single license available for a resort casino in the greater Boston region.

The development has a website and is also on Twitter. The developer is expected to present an overview of the plans to Milford Selectmen on June 3, including a description of the jobs that will be provided.