Advisory: NJ Elected Officials, Allies from Across Region to Join Workers at March and Rally to Fight for Middle Class Jobs
Trump Taj Mahal Strikers to Billionaire Investor Carl Icahn: “Stop Destroying Our Livelihoods”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, July 21, 2016
CONTACT: Diana Hussein, dhussein@unitehere.org, 313-460-3119
NJ Elected Officials, Allies from Across Region to Join Workers at March and Rally to Fight for Middle Class Jobs
Hours Before Trump to Address RNC, Thousands to Stand Up Against Trump-Icahn Business Model
WHAT: March and Rally to stand up for middle class jobs at the Trump Taj Mahal.
WHO: Over 1,000 Strikers, union members and allies from across the region
WHEN: Thursday, July 21, 2016 from 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: The March will begin on the Boardwalk between Revel and Showboat (New Jersey Ave and the Boardwalk).
WHY: One thousand cooks, housekeepers, bellmen, bartenders, cocktail servers, and other service workers from the Trump Taj Mahal have been on strike since July 1.
The strike at the Trump Taj Mahal— a casino owned by billionaire Carl Icahn — follows on the heels of tentative agreements with the Tropicana and Caesars Entertainment, which owns Atlantic City’s Caesars, Harrah’s and Bally’s.
BACKGROUND: Many workers at the Trump Taj Mahal, including those with years on the job, have seen only $.80 in total raises over the last twelve years. The cost of living in Atlantic City has risen over 25 percent in the same time period. Housekeepers, servers and other casino workers at the Taj Mahal earn an average of less than $12/ hour.
As the principle creditor between 2010 and 2014, Icahn extracted $350 million from the property, driving it into bankruptcy and then swooping in to take control. He used the bankruptcy proceeding to strip Taj Mahal workers of health benefits, retirement security and even paid breaks. Overall, he cut worker compensation in wages and benefits by 35%.
Without health benefits, half of workers at the Trump Taj Mahal rely on taxpayer subsidized health insurance. A third have no health insurance at all, putting them at risk of bankruptcy in the event of an illness and forcing taxpayers to pay for visits to the Emergency Room. Some of the workers rely on other public assistance programs, like food stamps.
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Rally event info on Facebook: http://www.bit.ly.com/tajrally