Workers sue to overturn law that exempts Atlantic City casinos from indoor smoking ban
For three years, many Atlantic City casino workers have been trying to get their elected officials to ban smoking in the gambling halls, to no avail
TRENTON, N.J. — Frustrated at having unsuccessfully agitated for over three years to get lawmakers to ban smoking in Atlantic City casinos, workers on Friday tried a new tactic. They filed a lawsuit to try to overturn a law that leaves casino workers as the only ones not covered by the protections of a clean workplace air act.
The United Auto Workers, which represents workers at the Bally's, Caesars and Tropicana casinos, and a group of casino workers opposed to smoking in the gambling halls, filed a lawsuit in state Superior Court challenging New Jersey's indoor clean air law.
Enacted 18 years ago, the law bans smoking in virtually all indoor workplaces — except casinos.
The litigation seeks to have that exemption declared unconstitutional on several grounds, including equal protection under the law.
At a rally outside the courthouse where the litigation was filed, workers said they are employing new tactics to ban smoking in the casinos after thus far failing to convince legislators to do it.
“Today, we get off our knees and stand up!” shouted Lamont White, a dealer at the Borgata casino and one of the leaders of the employee anti-smoking movement. “We offered them the carrot, and now they get the stick!”
Whether to ban smoking is one of the most controversial issues not only in Atlantic City casinos, but in other states where workers have expressed concern about secondhand smoke. They are waging similar campaigns in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Kansas and Virginia
Ray Jensen Jr., assistant director of the local UAW office, said the venue for the fight has shifted.
“If
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