The demonstration outside of the Trump Taj Mahal casino
in Atlantic City swelled Thursday with picketers traveling from around the East
Coast to join the group as the strike enters its fourth week.
Roughly 1,000 members of UNITE HERE Local 54 began
striking on July 1, calling for better health and pension benefits from the Carl Icahn-owned Taj Mahal. The demonstrators,
which took their rally to the activist investor's Manhattan offices earlier
this month, aimed to draw even more attention to their cause in the hours ahead
of GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump's acceptance speech at the
Republican National Convention.
"We won’t stand for Icahn-omics. When workers from
every other casino, large or small, have health insurance that is affordable
and that works it is time for the Trump Taj Mahal to step up to the plate,” Bob McDevitt, the union president said in a
statement.
State leaders, including New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney also joined the picket line
Thursday, telling the Associated Press:
"You can't treat your workers the way they do and expect to be
successful."
Along with Sweeney, other laborers from Connecticut,
Maryland, western Pennsylvania and elsewhere traveled to Atlantic City to lend
their support.
McDevitt, in comments made to the AP,
called for organized labor to rally behind the casino workers.
"This property is crippled. The longer this company
refuses to meet the standards of a decent contract, the more damage is done to
the customer base, which will find new homes, as they are doing already. The
longer this goes on, the more it hurts the company."
The casino had made an offer related to health insurance,
but the union rejected it and the offer was withdrawn on Monday, the AP said.
Source: Philadelphia
Business Journal
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