Thursday, January 25, 2007

The Death Chamber

Atlantic City council will support the "compromise" to will allow smoking rooms in casinos.

But smoking ban proponents -- including many casino employees -- said it was not a compromise because they were never given a seat at the bargaining table.
"How could you broker a deal behind closed doors and not bring all parties to the table?" asked Vincent Rennich, a 25-year employee at the Tropicana, who said he lost one-third of his lung to cancer from second-hand smoke on the casino floor. Rennich is suing the Tropicana.
...
Supporters of a ban felt slighted. More than 200 people packed the council chambers last night, and dozens more -- mostly employees and residents against the compromise -- spoke out, many carrying signs and wearing orange T-shirts that said "Nobody deserves to work in an ashtray."
Jennifer Guillerman, a 22-year employee at Caesars, said no one will want to work in the smoking sections, which she dubbed "the death chamber."
Atlantic City resident Ray Mazzoli said the amendment wasn't a compromise, but a "capitulation." He said the only way to get a ban was to "take that ventilation system and pump it directly into the executive suites."

Venting into the profiteers' offices- sounds fair to me!

From the Press of AC (AP article):

Jennifer Guillermain, who has worked as a gaming supervisor for 16 years at Caesars Atlantic City Hotel Casino, said employees are already balking at working in the smoking rooms.
"No one is going to volunteer. And now we're afraid for our jobs if we say we don't want to work in those rooms," she said.


Which doesn't surprise me. Sickens me, and sickens them too, but not surprised.

1 comment:

NAP said...

I think it is time that OSHA steps in.......