Taj Mahal strike brings focus back to Donald Trump

As the Trump Taj Mahal workers' strike stretches into its sixth day, the labor dispute has shined a light on presumptive GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump and one of his billionaire backers, casino owner Carl Icahn.

Nearly 1,000 members of the UNITE HERE Local 54 walked off the job early Friday morning. Of the five casinos negotiating with the union, the Taj was the only one unable to reach a deal before the Thursday midnight deadline.

Trump has used Atlantic City as an example during his presidential campaign of his business prowess, saying he "had the good sense to leave Atlantic City."

His comments hit a nerve with locals as many were personally impacted by not only Trump's departure, but his business practices while in A.C.

As the Inquirer reported, some contractors had to fight for payment before the casinos were in bankruptcy.

    "When it came time to pay for the pianos, we weren't getting paid," said Michael Diehl, 88, owner of Freehold Music Co., which sold Trump eight Yamaha grand pianos for about $100,000. "I'm not going to vote for him, that's for sure. That's a crude way of doing business."

    Diehl did better than most: 70 cents on the dollar, an offer that came with a warning of much less if it came to bankruptcy.

Likely Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, is expected to be in Atlantic City on Wednesday to call her rival out on his business record in the Shore resort.

The fallout now happening in Atlantic City, a union fight that has a focus on health and pension benefits for Taj workers, feels all too familiar for many of the Shore residents. This time, instead of Trump, the big, bad billionaire is activist investor Icahn.

Both Trump and Icahn built their fortunes in the 1980s, and Icahn eventually became the sole lender to Trump Entertainment before entering the Atlantic City casino industry himself.

While union members continue to stage their battle on the boardwalk, a new report could get more supporters on their side. The report from union activist group, "The Dangerous Deeds of Carl Icahn," shows Icahn has a long history of treating workers poorly, according to Fortune.

    The new report looks at 10 Icahn investments, starting with his famous takeover of TWA in 1985. “He pushed to make a number of controversial decisions that critics said made him hundreds of millions of dollars but ultimately resulted in TWA declaring bankruptcy multiple times, being bought out by American Airlines, and laying off and cutting the pensions of pilots and flight attendants,” the 28-page report states.

Icahn told Fortune the report is an inaccurate portrayal of his work since he took over many companies on the verge of, or already in, bankruptcy.

Source: Philadelphia Business Journal