Members of Atlantic City’s largest casino union employed at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa are working under a new, five-year contract, union officials announced Monday.

More than 500 members of Local 54 of UNITE HERE voted last week to ratify the contract, with a 95 percent majority agreeing to its terms, The Press of Atlantic City reported, citing Bob McDevitt, Local 54 president, as its source.

Increases in wages and protections in health care and pension benefits are covered in the new contract. The agreement includes retroactive employee payments and benefits going back to Sept. 15, when the previous contract expired.

The union represents food and beverage servers, housekeepers, dishwashers and other service workers.

The new contract also covers employees of The Water Club, the Borgata’s new 800-room hotel on the same site. Local 54 represents more than 2,500 members at the two locations.

McDevitt called the new contract is “fair and equitable,” The Press reported.

“In spite of some serious disagreements over several issues, there was never any indication of hostility evidenced by either party,” he said. “The fact that these negotiations took more than eight months indicates that this carefully worked-out and sensitive document was not a slam-dunk.”

Local 54 will face another round of negotiations with the other 10 casinos in Atlantic City, whose contracts are set to expire in September 2009. McDevitt said the Borgata contract will serve as a template.