PRESS RELEASE

New Jersey State AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech
Calls on Revel to Agree to Fair Unionization Process

TRENTON – Today, New Jersey State AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech voiced his support for the proposal of three affiliated labor unions to achieve labor peace and a fair process for unionization at the new Revel Casino in Atlantic City. The coalition of unions included the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, United Automobile Workers, and UNITE HERE!
President Wowkanech stated, “Helping the gaming and service workers fulfill their right to form a union at Revel is a top priority for the one-million member New Jersey State AFL-CIO, and we are going to do everything we can to support these workers.”
“Revel is a property which was built with $261 million in taxpayer subsidies. These subsidies were not provided for the sole benefit of Revel Casino, but for the mutual benefit of the community, casino industry, workers, and their families,” President Wowkanech explained. “However, the jobs at Revel will not be a source of shared prosperity and they will further the divide between management and workers as well as between the casinos and the community.”
“Close to 40 percent of Revel’s employees are part-time, having either no benefits or inadequate benefits. These are not jobs that anyone can live on and support a family,” President Wowkanech said. “Additionally, this is the first casino to require employees to reapply for their jobs every four years in competition with the general public. In these uncertain times, families need stability and decent paying jobs, not the fear of losing your job every four years. Our communities benefit from good employers who want to invest in their workers who live in the local community.”
President Wowkanech stated, “Since the advent of gaming in Atlantic City, the New Jersey State AFL-CIO has proven to be a loyal and strategic partner with the casino industry which has frequently called on our organization to assist in passing legislation to keep Atlantic City competitive and profitable. This includes 24 hour gaming, the new convention center, the expansion of slot machine gaming space, and Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) tax credits. Just as workers understand the need for casinos to be successful, casinos must realize that their success depends on creating good jobs which sustain the middle class.”
President Wowkanech concluded, “We hope that union and community members will keep this information in mind when booking their next visit or event in Atlantic City. We strongly encourage you to patronize those properties which were not only built union but are staffed union. These properties include the Atlantic Club, Trump Plaza, Caesars, Bally’s, Resorts, Trump Taj Mahal, Showboat, Harrah’s, Borgata, and the Golden Nugget.”