Atlantic City Casino Smoking Debate Sparks Call for Union Leader’s Exit

The fight about smoking in Atlantic City casinos has grown more intense. Some people who stand up for workers say Local 54 of the Unite Here union takes the side of tobacco companies instead of looking out for employees. 

UAW Official Urges Local 54 Leader to Step Down

This smoking debate reached a peak on Monday when Ray Jensen, the assistant director of United Auto Workers (UAW) Region 9 told everyone that Donna DeCaprio, who runs Local 54, should quit her job, as reported by the Associated Press. He said she was wrong to go against a plan to stop smoking in the casinos. He thinks she has not done enough to keep members safe from the dangers of breathing in other people’s smoke.

Jensen claimed DeCaprio put money ahead of health saying she sided with big tobacco’s push to loosen smoking rules. He said Local 54’s stance puts workers at risk and urged quick action to fix what he called poor leadership.

DeCaprio stood up for her stance pointing out the possible financial troubles that could come from stopping smoking. She said that smoking areas, which make up 25% of the casino floors in Atlantic City bring in 50% to 72% of the money from people who visit in person. She claimed that if smoking was banned, it might cause big drops in money coming in, some casinos might have to close, and thousands of people could lose their jobs. DeCaprio said her union wants to keep workers healthy and also keep the economy strong. They suggest putting in better air cleaning systems and making rules so workers do not have to work in smoking areas if they do not want to.

Casino Workers Divided as Push for Smoking Ban Gains Momentum in New Jersey

This issue splits casino workers. CEASE (Casino Employees Against Smoking’s Effects), a group fighting smoking, keeps pushing for laws to close the gap in New Jersey’s clean air rules that let casinos allow smoking. They point out many health dangers, like cancer and heart problems tied to breathing secondhand smoke. CEASE just asked a court to look again at an August ruling that kept the current exception.

Those who want to ban smoking bring up facts from consulting firm C3 Gaming. These facts hint that casinos without smoke do better than others in different places. This backs up claims that getting rid of smoking could work money-wise while keeping workers healthy.

Governor Phil Murphy backs a smoking ban and says he will sign such a bill if lawmakers pass it. But the Casino Association of New Jersey and Local 54 stand against it. They worry about losing jobs and cutting tax money for key state programs.

As people argue about this, talks about similar smoking bans are starting in other states too, like Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. This shows that more people across the country are thinking about how to balance keeping workers safe with making money in hotels, restaurants, and similar businesses.