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Tropicana Dealers Voted In Favor of UAW

On August 27th, 2007, the casino dealers working at the Tropicana Casino and Resort, where hundreds of employees have been laid off earlier this year and the casino's CEO was fired, voted unanimously to join the United Auto Workers union.

Joseph Ashton, the director of the UAW Region which represents New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York said that this is a good win for them and that they will continue to accept those employees that want to join them.

The United Auto Workers were able to convince casino dealers at Caesars, Bally and Trump Plaza casinos to join the union earlier this year. The slot machine technicians decided to form their own union and the cashiers at Caesar's voted on Saturday on whether or not to join the union.

The union is making great progress as revenues plummet 17.9% at the 11 casinos in Atlantic City in the second quarter of the year, because of gambling activities in Pennsylvania and New York and the partial smoking ban that was enforced on April 15th, 2007. The casinos have responded to the profit slide by laying off regular workers and hiring part-time employees that have no benefits.

The Tropicana Casino, which features the entertainment, retail and eating facility called the Quarter, has had a difficult year since Columbia Sussex Corporation from Fort Mitchell, Ky. bought the property in January. Columbia's gaming hall's operating revenues for the second quarter slid down from 17.7% to $29.1 0million.

For the month of July, Tropicana's profits were down 11.7% from the slot machines and 10.6% from the casino table games. To cut back expenses, casino officials dismissed 900 employees, ranging from security guards to housekeepers.

COO Fred Buro was fired for reportedly trying to convince management not to fire any more employees. 39 year-old blackjack dealer Phonsan Duangthabjan said that there is a growing unease among employees because a lot of them are afraid that they will lose their jobs.

Duangthabjan said that he has no benefits since he was just a part time dealer. He voted yes because he believes that he needs some benefits even if he is just a part-time dealer.

The final result of the vote was 626-157. Ashton said that the overwhelming margin was a good sign the UAW had succeeded in convincing casino employees. The UAW lost the union elections in Atlantic City Hilton and Trump Marina on May 2007.

The UAW also represents 6,000 gaming employees from Detroit and Newport, Rhode Island. UAW is also busy with its union drive efforts in Iowa and Connecticut and another casino facility owned by Columbia Sussex in Indiana.

 

Sunday, September 30 , 2007
Brian Letendre