| KYWs Year in Review: Atlantic City Casino Strike |
A month-long strike hit seven Atlantic City, NJ casinos during 2004.
Thousands of hospitality workers -- members of Local 54 of the hotel and restaurant employees' union -- walked out for the entire month of October.
The dispute boiled down to three key issues: company-paid health care, subcontracting to nonunion workers, and the length of a new contract.
Not all the gambling halls were affected. The Borgata already had a deal with its union in place, and four others reached accords before the walkout began. Among them was the Trump Marina, where Kelly Duffy had a contract covering her employment:
"But my brothers and sisters don’t, and we’re all together. I’m standing 100 percent behind them. I gave up my vacation to get arrested."
...along with about 80 others, for blocking traffic into town a week into the strike.
In the end, the union won on health care and subcontracting, while the casinos got the five year contract (and five years of labor peace) they had sought.
Source: KYW News Radio 1060
Friday, 31 December 2004
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