ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – Workers pushing for a ban on smoking in Atlantic City casinos say a major labor union has been defeated by tobacco companies seeking an alliance in the fight against the smoking ban.
The head of an anti-smoking organization on Monday called on Atlantic City casino union president Donna DeCaprio to resign for failing to protect her members from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
DeCaprio is the president of Local 54 of the United Here union, which opposes the smoking ban on the grounds that so much business would be lost by smokers taking their money elsewhere that it could cause one or more casinos to close, costing thousands of workers their money. duties.
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“He should be ashamed of himself,” said Ray Jensen, deputy director of United Auto Workers Region 9, which represents dealers at three Atlantic City casinos and is part of a lawsuit seeking to compel the courts to end smoking in gambling halls. . “He has to turn in his union card.”
DeCaprio said his union supports the health and safety of its members, adding that workplace improvements should be made.
“There must be a balance that protects the health of workers and preserves good jobs,” he said. “We are protecting our members from more casino closings and job losses. The UAW wants to sacrifice the entire casino industry by putting 25 good jobs with benefits at risk.”
DeCaprio said that between 50% and 72% of all in-person casino revenue in Atlantic City comes from smoking portions, which only take 25% of the casino floor.
He said that his union “and the majority of the labor party” support a measure that improves the atmosphere in casinos and prevents any worker from being assigned to work in a smoking area against their will.
Banning smoking is one of the most pressing issues not only in Atlantic City casinos but in other countries where workers have expressed concern about secondhand smoke. They are making similar arrangements in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Kansas and Virginia.
Workers have been pushing for four years to end the release of New Jersey’s clean air law that allows smoking inside nine casinos. They say that they or some of their colleagues are suffering from cancer, heart disease and other diseases related to smoking.
Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said he will sign a bill to end smoking in casinos when it reaches his desk.
The casinos, joined by Local 54, oppose the effort, saying it would cost Atlantic City thousands of jobs and lead to tax cuts for state programs for seniors and the disabled.
On Monday, a labor group calling itself CEASE (Casino Employees Against Smoking’s Effects) appealed a court ruling in August that allowed smoking to continue in nine casinos.
The Casino Association of New Jersey declined to comment Monday.
Attorney Nancy Erika Smith said that as early as 1993, tobacco companies targeted hospitality industry unions as partners to fight smoking bans in restaurants and the hospitality industry. This effort included the Hotel Workers and Restaurant Workers Union, the forerunner of the United Here union.
“APA and its AFL-CIO affiliates should be promoted as supporters of the anti-smoking ban effort,” a public relations firm wrote in a memo to the Philip Morris Companies that was made public during several tobacco court hearings. companies. The memo said having HERE “as a partner in this effort would be a powerful voice.”
Since 2001, HERE has been part of a 12-member coalition including labor unions that advocated for improved indoor air quality instead of a state-imposed smoking ban, according to a document cited in Monday’s filing.
Opponents of smoking offer a 2022 report by Las Vegas-based C3 Gaming, a consulting firm, that shows that smoke-free casinos “appear to be doing better than their counterparts that continue to allow smoking.”
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