What’s in the $2 Trillion Stimulus?

We are 18 different languages and nationalities united in one voice: Enough is Enough. We stand up for good jobs, with dignity and respect. And we will not let a Wall Street billionaire take that away.

We held the line, and we will be back.

UNITE HERE Local 54 Urges Senator Sweeney to run for Governor

(Atlantic City, NJ)—UNITE HERE Local 54 and its President Bob McDevitt today urged State Senator Steve Sweeney to enter the race for Governor.

“Senator Sweeney has been a steadfast advocate for the working people of Atlantic City and the rest of the State of New Jersey. He has consistently advanced commonsense solutions to the problems facing our state. Senator Sweeney believes every worker deserves a living wage, and he has proven time and again that he is unafraid to take on powerful interests to fight for a brighter future for New Jersey’s working families. He also has a good plan for school funding and is committed to making New Jersey colleges strong and affordable. The middle class in New Jersey needs a champion in the Governor’s office, and Steve Sweeney is the leader who has demonstrated the grit and determination to be that champion, and to make a real difference in the lives of working families throughout the state,” said Bob McDevitt, President of Local 54.

McDevitt continued, “In Atlantic City we know that Senator Sweeney is on our side. When Wall Street wanted to slash and burn wages and benefits, Senator Sweeney was the first elected official to reach out to us and offer his support, and he never wavered in that support. He marched with us shoulder to shoulder and stood by us on the Boardwalk and in the hallways in Trenton. Senator Sweeney has been the most effective voice in our fight to preserve middle class jobs so we can provide for our families and look forward to a brighter future. He is the kind of Governor New Jersey so desperately needs.”

Representing 10,000 men and women, UNITE HERE Local 54 is the largest casino workers union in the state of New Jersey.

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Press of AC: Bill blocking ‘warehousing’ of casino licenses advances

BuzzFeed: The Reputation Of The Trump Taj Mahal Casino Crashed This Summer

Striking Casino Workers Tell Congress: Pass Brokaw Act to protect workers from the likes of Carl Icahn

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, September 8, 2016
Contact: Diana Hussein, dhussein@unitehere.org, 313-460-3119

Striking Casino Workers Tell Congress:
Pass Brokaw Act to protect workers from the likes of Carl Icahn

(Washington, D.C.)—Three busloads of striking casino workers travelled from the historic Atlantic City Boardwalk to the halls of the Capital today to lobby Congress about the need for Senate Bill 2720, also known as the Brokaw Act, to protect working people from vulture investors like Carl Icahn.

“Carl Icahn came to Atlantic City, sucked $350 million out of Trump casinos, turned our middle-class jobs into poverty jobs and then when we stood up to him, Icahn decided to close our workplace and kick 3,000 people to the curb,” said Charles Baker, a Taj Mahal cook since the day it opened in 1990. “I’m here because I want Congress to pass the Brokaw Act, to stop this from happening to other families.”

The Brokaw Act was named after a small town in Wisconsin that went bankrupt after its primary employer succumbed to pressure from an activist hedge fund and closed most of its paper mills. The bill is designed to curb the ability of self-appointed activists, like Carl Icahn, to secretly amass shares and solicit votes for corporate restructurings that provide windfalls for the activists but often have disastrous consequences for workers, communities, and the companies themselves.

In his long career as a corporate raider and then activist, Carl Icahn has left a trail of layoffs, health benefit cuts, and terminated pension plans. And since 2011, companies he has targeted as an activist have committed almost $110 billion to share buybacks.

In Atlantic City, Icahn has had a hand in the closure of three casinos, putting 4,600 people out of work. Now, he is threatening to close a fourth casino, imperiling the jobs of an additional 3,000 employees.

“I used to be able to provide for my family, now I’m facing the unemployment line all because Carl Icahn wanted to make a few more bucks,” said Marc Scittina, a 26-year Food Server at the Taj.

Since July 1, about 1,000 cooks, bartenders, housekeepers, cocktail servers and other service workers have been on strike at the Trump Taj Mahal. Workers are trying to reenter the middle-class after Icahn used the bankruptcy court to strip them of pay and benefits worth more than 1/3 of their total compensation. Many workers at the Trump Taj Mahal, including those with many years on the job, have seen only $.80 per hour 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 on average less than $12/ hour. A recent union survey revealed half now must rely on taxpayer-subsidized health insurance and a third have no health insurance at all.

ABOUT UNITE HERE

UNITE HERE represents workers throughout the United States and Canada who work in the hotel, gaming, food, service, airport, textile, manufacturing, distribution, laundry and transportation industries. Learn more at www.unitehere.org.

Local 54, UNITE HERE’s Atlantic City affiliate, represents almost 10,000 casino workers fighting for the future of their families.

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