Many Atlantic City casino workers have been trying to get lawmakers to pass a ban on smoking for years. However, they may not have the support they need to get them to pass this bill. Therefore, these disgruntled members decided to take matters into their own hands.
On December 14, some United Auto Workers union members decided to make their stance loud and clear by disrupting a state assembly committee. This committee was scheduled to take a preliminary vote on the bill to ban smoking at their casinos.
To make their points known, these members sat at the hearing, lit cigarettes, and started blowing smoke toward legislators. These casino workers did not take this bold step without reasonable cause.
Instead, they did this because of the events on Wednesday night before the hearing. One of the front runners for the smoke ban switched sides and gave up on pursuing the bill they wanted.
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He buckled under pressure and agreed to some of the alternatives the industry’s top executives gave them. This includes things like smoking rooms and partial distance while smoking.
Therefore, the employees and members of the union are not happy about this new development. To show their disapproval, seven members of the association began smoking in the statehouse, knowing fully well that the court does not allow it.
According to these members, they tried to show the authorities just how uncomfortable smoking naked by doing it in their place of work. A regional director of the union, Daniel Vicente, puffed a cloud of smoke and said, “We’re not allowed to smoke in your workplace, but you’re allowed to smoke in ours.”
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As expected, the authorities did not like this at all. The state police escorted all the men out of the hearing room and released them without charges. Afterward, Vicente said, “They say it’s OK for secondhand smoke to be blown in our faces all day. We wanted to know if it’s OK if we did that in their workplace. They said it was inappropriate and not allowed here.”
According to them, they tried to prove just how much of an inconvenience secondhand smoking is. The workers are angry and want the state’s lawmakers to force a vote on the original bill. This bill will impose a total smoking ban, but it doesn’t seem likely to happen soon.
In a recent statement, state senator Vince Polistina also reiterated this point. Although he is a supporter who has appeared at rallies in favor of the smoking ban, he also believes the original bill isn’t going anywhere.
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“My conversations with leaders in both houses make it clear that there is insufficient support for this bill. It is disappointing that after two years of advocating and building support with our colleagues, we still do not have the necessary support in the Legislature to get a full smoking ban passed,” he said.
However, he said he is not giving up just yet. He’s writing a new measure incorporating proposals favored by the casino industry while still working toward keeping secondhand smoke away from workers and customers who don’t want it. Therefore, there might still be hope for the disgruntled workers.
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