Protest of Working Conditions at Carl Icahn-owned Taj Mahal Leads to Arrests
The New Jersey State AFL-CIO and our affiliates and community partners showed their unwavering support for our brothers and sisters of UNITE HERE Local 54 who work in Atlantic City’s Taj Mahal casino on Wednesday, June 17, 2015, by participating in a Boardwalk rally to demand that corporate raider Carl Icahn restore medical and retirement benefits to workers.
Disgracefully, billionaire Icahn stripped away health care and pension benefits from career casino workers – then added insult to injury by taking away their half-hour paid meal break. After shamelessly stripping benefits from workers at the Taj Mahal, Icahn ran to bankruptcy court for protection for his misdeeds. Icahn has destroyed middle-class communities while continuing to live luxuriously.
We in the labor movement stand united against such blatant and shameless attacks. Many of our affiliates who had been attending the state federation’s annual COPE Legislative Endorsement Conference remained in Atlantic City to support our brothers and sisters of UNITE HERE 54.
New Jersey State AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech, Secretary-Treasurer Laurel Brennan and others voiced their disgust at the rally at the heartless way Icahn is treating casino workers. Harnessing the conference theme of “A Call to Action,” President Wowkanech stood shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters insisting on social and economic justice, and was one of approximately 70 protesters to be arrested at the rally.
We thank our affiliates and allies for their continued support, and remind all our brothers and sisters that “an injury to one is an injury to all.”