Thousands Fill Atlantic City Streets to Demand Justice for Casino Workers

Thousands Fill Atlantic City Streets to Demand Justice for Casino Workers

Posted By James Parks On June 23, 2008 @ 10:37 am In Organizing & Bargaining

Thousands of casino workers, elected officials, union leaders and supporters from the East Coast, New England and the Midwest filled the streets of Atlantic City on Saturday [1] in a major march and rally to demand that casino owners stop stalling and negotiate with the workers’ union.

Since March 2007, more than 5,000 casino dealers, slot machine technicians and others have voted overwhelmingly to join the [2] UAW in six union representation elections at four major Atlantic City casinos: [3] Caesars, [4] Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Bally’s and Tropicana Casino and Resort. Yet, for more than a year, casino owners have delayed and stalled negotiations. 

Says Sharon Masino, a dealer at Caesars: 

I think the casinos really got our message. We voted, we won—and now it’s way past time to negotiate a contract that delivers good wages and decent health care, so we can take of ourselves and our families.

A long parade of marchers, stretching for several city blocks, streamed past the city’s major casinos for three hours following a rally, which featured New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D), Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and a wide range of elected officials, union leaders and community representatives.

Menendez read a letter from the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. [5] Barack Obama, which said in part:

I encourage the employers in the gaming industry and the UAW negotiators to come together and to recognize that work should be rewarded with a few basic guarantees, such as: quality, affordable health care when you get sick; fair treatment in the workplace and wages that can raise a family; and a dignified and secure retirement. 

Obama added: 

The challenges you faced to organize and now face in bargaining are the reason I co-sponsored the [6] Employee Free Choice Act, and, as President, I will proudly fight for its enactment and sign it into law. 

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said a united labor movement marched Saturday “to stand up for democracy in the workplace.”

We also had tremendous support from community leaders and elected officials from both political parties. Casino owners heard us loud and clear. Our members in Atlantic City will have the backing and the resources to win the contracts they deserve.

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney praised the solidarity of the union movement behind the casino workers:

When the casino owners of Atlantic City decided to stonewall the dealers and slot technicians who voted overwhelmingly to join the UAW, they had no idea they would be confronted with unions and workers from all over the Northeast—workers from New York City who have their own struggle, union members from as far away as Detroit and Buffalo and Indiana.

Charles Wowkanech, president of the [7] New Jersey State AFL-CIO, made it clear the state’s workers are solidly behind the casino employees:

You can count on this—one million union members in New Jersey are going to stand with Atlantic City casino workers until all workers are covered by a union contract.  

Ernestine Dawkins, who works at the Tropicana, summed up the workers’ feelings when she told the crowd: 

We can’t wait for affordable health care! We can’t wait to make a fair wage! And we’re not going to wait for respect! That’s why we fought for our union. And that’s why we’ll keep fighting until we get a contract. We are good at what we do and we want a fair deal.

The presidents of four international unions also joined the rally, backed by strong contingents of their respective members: Harold Schaitberger of the [8] Fire Fighters, James Williams of the [9] Painters and Allied Trades, Joe Hansen of the United Food and Commercial Workers and Terry O’Sullivan of the Laborers. 

Members of Congress attending the rally included Rep. Joe Baca (D-Calif.), chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and four bipartisan members of the New Jersey congressional delegation: Democrats Robert Andrews and Bill Pascrell and Republicans Frank LoBiondo and Chris Smith.

Members of some two dozen central labor councils traveled to Atlantic City for the rally and march, including Metropolitian Baltimore, New York City and Long Island, N.Y. New Jersey central labor councils represented were Atlantic and Cape May counties, Southern Jersey, Bergen County, Monmouth and Ocean counties, Hudson County, Burlington County, Essex-West Hudson, Mercer County, Middlesex County and Somerset County. Central labor councils in Pennsylvania sent busloads of marchers from Philadelphia, Southeastern Pennsylvania, Bucks County, Reading & Berks, Montgomery County, Delaware County, Central Pennsylvania, Harrisburg and Lehigh Valley.