The battle for Atlantic City's future intensified this
week with the formation of a coalition dedicated to stopping the expansion of
gambling into North Jersey and a union workers' demonstration in the Shore town
to call for a stop to a state takeover.
The No North Jersey Casinos Coalition is made up of many
small business owners from around South Jersey. Cape May County's Chamber of
Commerce is urging its members to support the group's message while the South
Jersey chamber is organizing the seven counties it covers in their opposition
to a November ballot question that would allow casinos outside Atlantic City, according to the Press of Atlantic
City.
“We’re comprised of
a bunch of like-minded public officials, business organizations, individual
companies, organized labor and regular citizens who believe gaming belongs in
Atlantic City period,” said [Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey]
President Debra DiLorenzo, also of the coalition.
Meanwhile hundreds of union workers rallied in the rain
Tuesday to object to New Jersey's proposed takeover of the struggling Shore
resort. The workers fear a state takeover would allow officials to rip up their
existing contracts, the Press of AC said.
The takeover bill, which passed the Senate in March,
would give the state’s Local Finance Board director the ability to amend or
terminate the city’s collective bargaining agreements to cut costs as the city
faces a $100 million budget deficit without state aid.
In promoting the bill, Gov. Chris Christie has taken aim at the salaries of public safety workers, describing them as rich and expensive to taxpayers.
Labor leaders, however, say the unions are being made a
"scapegoat," but Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto said the bill is a
"work in progress," the Press of AC reported.
Source: Philadelphia
Business Journal
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