ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Workers advocating for a prohibition on smoking in Atlantic City casinos claim that the prominent employee union has been swayed by tobacco companies looking for supporters against such restrictions.
An official representing the union involved in the anti-smoking movement demanded the resignation of Donna DeCaprio, head of the Atlantic City casino workers’ union, citing her failure to safeguard members against the hazards of secondhand smoke.
DeCaprio, president of Local 54 of the Unite Here union, argues against a smoking ban, asserting that the potential loss in business from smokers could lead to casino closures, resulting in significant job losses for thousands.
“She should be ashamed of herself,” remarked Ray Jensen, assistant director of United Auto Workers Region 9, which represents dealers in three Atlantic City casinos. Jensen is part of a lawsuit aimed at forcing an end to smoking in these establishments. “She should hand in her union card.”
In response, DeCaprio stated that her union is committed to ensuring the health and safety of its members, insisting that workplace conditions need enhancements.
“A compromise must be achieved to protect worker health while maintaining stable employment,” she asserted. “We are safeguarding our members against the risk of multiple casino closures which would jeopardize 25,000 quality jobs with benefits. The UAW appears willing to gamble everything on destroying the casino sector.”
According to DeCaprio, between 50% and 72% of the revenue generated in Atlantic City’s casinos comes from smoking-designated areas, which only take up 25% of the casino floor.
She also indicated that her union, along with a majority of the labor movement, is in favor of a plan aimed at enhancing ventilation in casinos and ensuring that employees are not compelled to work in smoking areas against their consent.
The debate regarding the smoking ban has ignited significant controversy not just within Atlantic City but also across other states, where workers have raised alarms about the dangers of secondhand smoke. Similar initiatives are underway in places like Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Kansas, and Virginia.
For four years, workers have sought the removal of an exemption in New Jersey’s clean air legislation that currently permits smoking in the nine casinos. They report a rising number of illnesses among themselves and colleagues, including cancer and heart disease linked to exposure to secondhand smoke.
Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, has expressed that he would sign any bill to prohibit smoking in casinos that reaches his office.
The casinos, in alliance with Local 54, are against this movement, claiming it would lead to thousands of job losses in Atlantic City and would adversely affect tax revenues that fund state services for senior citizens and the disabled.
On Monday, the group known as CEASE (Casino Employees Against Smoking’s Effects) filed an appeal against a court ruling from August that permitted smoking to continue in the nine casinos.
The Casino Association of New Jersey chose not to comment on these developments.
Attorney Nancy Erika Smith noted that since as early as 1993, tobacco firms have targeted labor unions within the hospitality sector as possible allies to counter smoking bans in restaurants and hotels. The effort also included the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union, which eventually merged into the Unite Here organization.
“HERE and related AFL-CIO affiliates are essential allies that should be nurtured as supporters against smoking bans,” stated a public relations memo addressed to Philip Morris Companies, which surfaced during various litigations against tobacco firms. This memo emphasized the influential role that having HERE as a supporter would play in the opposition to smoking bans.
In addition, documentation from 2001 reveals that HERE participated in a coalition advocating for better indoor ventilation as an alternative to government-imposed smoking prohibitions.
Campaigners against smoking cite a 2022 report from C3 Gaming, a consultancy based in Las Vegas, that indicates casinos operating without smoke appear to be outperforming those that allow it.