Clearing the air on October 15th

Atlantic City Council unanimous on casino smoking ban, takes effect Oct. 15.

ATLANTIC CITY - A relentless fight to protect casino workers from secondhand smoke ended Wednesday with a historic vote by city legislators outlawing smoking on the resort's 11 casino floors.
Before a packed chamber of casino workers and anti-smoking advocates, City Council's nine members approved an ordinance that will clear the smoke from all city gaming floors by Oct. 15. The measure does allow casinos to build separately ventilated smoking rooms that cannot be staffed.
The vote was followed by more than a minute-long standing ovation and chants of "thank you!"
...
"There's an industry out here that we have a responsibility to," said (Councilman Bruce) Ward, a driving force behind the legislation. "But we also have a responsibility to our visitors and our workers."

Finally, someone has taken responsibility to protect the health of casino workers. The casinos themselves finally said they would acquiesce if given enough implementation time. The biggest complaint of the casino industry was always that they would lose customers to Connecticut and Pennsylvania gambling; however, both of those states are apparently considering their own indoor smoking bans, so that's out the window.

Just like all that secondhand smoke- out the window.

It's about time.

Closin' the loophole

The state senate voted unanimously to close the loophole allowing smoking on casnio gaming floors. Woo-hoo!

The vote came 18 months after the Senate approved a statewide smoking ban that exempted casino gaming floors and cigar bars. State Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, said the original ban unfairly left out the health interests of casino employees.
“Thousands of workers each and every day are exposed to second-hand smoke,” Vitale said. “Why should thousands of casino workers be subject to cancer and emphysema?”
Said co-sponsor Sen. John Adler, D-Camden: “We're doing the right thing for public health. It's overdue. A year and a half late, but better late than not at all.”

It's nice to know that the state senate doesn't consider casino employees to be second-class citizens. Now, let's see if the Assembly follows suit...

Indoor Smoking Ban Anniversary

Sunday, April 15th is also the one-year anniversary of the indoor smoking ban- and, surprise surprise, it's been a success:

The first year of New Jersey's ban on smoking in restaurants, bars and other public places was pronounced a success yesterday by state and local health officials and anti-smoking activists.
The Smoke-Free Air Act, which will be a year old Sunday, has been met with widespread compliance by business operators, has overwhelming public support and has led to significant improvements in the air quality of indoor public places, state Health and Senior Services Commissioner Fred Jacobs said.
"I am pleased to say that patrons and employees are working in healthier environments thanks to the successful implementation of the Smoke-Free Air Act in New Jersey," Jacobs said. "This landmark law ... is a giant step forward in public health prevention."
...
Citing a survey conducted by the New Jersey Medical Society, the commissioner said 73 percent of people expressed strong support for the ban, and 89 percent believe it has made restaurants and bars safer for customers and employees.

Not everyone is happy, of course. It's a shame to see small businesses close and a reduction in business for some others. It's only a shift, however: overall, food and beverage service jobs have increased in the last year.

I have to agree with Dr. Conway:

...New Jersey lawmakers said they had seen little if any negative effect in the state and are unlikely to adjust the ban, unless it is to eliminate the exemption for casinos.
"The Legislature would have to see data before it would be prepared to subject people to the health risks of indoor smoke," said Assemblyman Herb Conaway Jr. (D., Burlington), a physician and sponsor of the ban. "It would be a very tough road to travel."

Breathe easy, Fair State.

And the debate on the smoking ban continues

Two significant things are going on with the indoor smoking ban in NJ (which passed whether or not you like it):

• VFW posts are fighting it and want smoking in their facilities. Some feel as if they have lost business due to the ban and will not be able to contribute to charities as much as they have in the past. I just don't see a change in the law happening so folks can smoke at the VFW. Our veteran's health is just as important as every other employee in Our Fair State.
• The casino worker who is suing the Tropicana, saying the secondhand smoke he endured there caused his lung cancer, was fired. Yep: they fired him. His health insurance coverage will end in 30 days. The casino says he wasn't singled out- they've had 200+ layoffs this year and he was simply one of them. They'd really better be able to back that decision up in court.

My little blog here is getting targeted by the wingers again, who insist that Trenton is full of thugs who will force us to stop smoking in our own homes (not quite!) and- my favorite- "so grow up an face the facts you's don't control the world an soon or later us smokers will rise up against you self centered pieces of garbage" (sic). Good luck with that "rising up" thing you're planning. Drop by the library one day, I'll find you a dictionary, a punctuation primer and a spellchecker.

At least they're trying

The Senate health committee advanced the bill to close the loophole which allows smoking in casinos. This loophole should never have been there in the first place; hopefully this will go through.

Meanwhile, the casinos are attempting to find ways to make everyone happy, such as unstaffed non-gaming smoking lounges. That way, no employees will have to be exposed to the smoke, right? Just like they aren't with nonsmoking rooms in restaurants, I'm sure. Apparently, they'll clear them out before employees are sent in to clean them. (Fat chance of that happening.)

While all this goes on, the casinos are under a deadline of April 15th to make 75% of their casino floor smoke-free. I almost feel sorry for the casinos here; the improvements to their floors will cost a lot of money and they aren't sure if or what they have to do.

Let me repeat, I almost feel sorry for them for not knowing what they have to do. If they gave a fig about their employees, maybe we could feel bad for them.

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.

Compromise? More like sell-out

A compromise is being proposed so that Atlantic City could ban smoking in casinos but allow up to 25% of the gambling floor to be designated a smoking section, enclosed and with separate ventilation.

“I have an understanding that we owe the casino industry some kind of a compromise instead of banning (smoking) completely,” said Councilman Dennis Mason, who sponsored the measure after about four weeks of negotiations with the Casino Association of New Jersey, a trade group representing the resort's 11 casinos. “I think this is fair.”

Was that understanding arrived at after intensive lobbying by the casino industry, perhaps? This isn't about being "fair" to the casinos- it's about protecting the workers.

But Councilman Bruce Ward, who proposed the full ban, maintained that he and fellow ban proponent Councilman Gene Robinson will not waiver from their stance to ban casino smoking outright.
“We have signed off in a blood bond,” Ward said. “I'm going to continue do everything I can to protect the employees and patrons so they can work in a safe and healthy environment.”
That environment should include everyone, Ward said, pointing out that while employees working in the smoke-free areas will maintain their health, there are still employees who must work among the smokers in the limited smoking sections.

Actual people, with lungs, will have to work there.

The article also mentions a study by University of Nevada-Reno showing the percentage of gamblers who smoke is just about the same as the percentage of the population who smoke, refuting the old argument that there would be a devastating economic impact to a ban. Honestly, most smokers are quite used to having to smoke outdoors, even during their leisure time; I highly doubt that it will have some huge impact on casino profits. (Don't forget that's what the casinos are actually concerned with- not jobs in Atlantic City, but their profits.)

Thanks for standing firm, Councilmen Ward and Robinson. Hopefully this ban will pass and all the workers who are being treated as second-class citizens by this loophole in the state law will be protected.

Not just 75% of them.

If you won't do it, we'll do it ourselves.

So says Atlantic City about the indoor smoking ban.

The city council in Atlantic City on Wednesday introduced a measure to ban smoking indoors in workplaces, which passed 9-0. Hearings will be held at the council's next two meetings, with a final vote late in December. The law would take effect 30 days after signing, so maybe sometime early next year, AC will be smoke-free.

Atlantic City Asm. Jim Wheelan proposed a bill to repeal the casino loophole in Our Fair State's Indoor Smoking Ban, but it has been languishing in committee since January. The state law does allow cities and towns to adopt their own, tougher limits.

I'm sure the casinos will lobby heavily and mount any possible legal challenge, so they're in for a fight, but the health of the people who work in the hospitality industry is worth it. The casino workers have been treated as a second class for too long. Kudos to the council of Atlantic City for this move.

(cross-posted on BlueJersey)

Clearing the air

Earlier today a friend sent me a link to an article, which I wanted to share with Sunshine and any other pro-smoking trolls who visit CoNJL:

As Smoke Clears, Scotts Breathe Easy Behind the Bar

Since it'll be behind the paywall in a heartbeat, I'll quote here:

The researchers, from the University of Dundee, just down the road, did tests on 77 nonsmoking bar workers in and around Dundee — particularly those with asthma — examining them one month before and then for two months after the ban. Similar research has been carried out elsewhere, including in the United States.

What was most surprising about the study, said Daniel Menzies, its author, was the speed with which health improved — particularly among asthmatics — and inflammation in the bloodstream was reversed. “We didn’t expect to find that,” he said in an interview.

In an article published in The Journal of the American Medical Association on Oct. 11, Dr. Menzies, a clinical research fellow in the Asthma and Allergy Research Group at the University of Dundee, said the study showed that the smoking ban “has led to a rapid and marked improvement in the health of bar workers.”

“Indeed,” he added, “on average employees had been working in a bar for more than nine years, but improvements in health were evident only one month after the introduction of a smoke-free policy.”

The tests recorded nicotine levels in participants’ bloodstream and showed that lung function improved by 5 to 15 percent, Dr. Menzies said, with the most significant increase among asthma sufferers. The findings also have implications for the incidence of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, he said.

Shock, that. The employees' health improved after they weren't subject to second hand smoke all day! Just like everyone who could read the previous research knew it would- except those folks who will grip their cigarettes until their dying day. Lucky for (non-casino) nonsmoking workers in Our Fair State, our dying day will be a little further off because of the indoor smoking ban.

Smoking Ban Begins Tonight

Starting tonight at midnight, smoking is banned from all indoor public spaces (except cigar bars and casino floors.) The last-ditch effort by a group of restauranteers and bar owners to stop the ban from taking effect failed yesterday. So, smoke 'em if ya got 'em- it's your last chance.

Do our local business owners a favor, and make a point of going out for dinner or drinks at a formerly-smoky place this week. Many business owners are worried that this will hurt their business, although statistics show that's not the case. They can read that too, but it's tough not to be worried about your business- so a little extra support is a nice thing to do.

Here in the Center of NJ, we're all about being nice.

Tough luck, casinos!

Press of Atlantic City:

Corzine not ready to ban smoking on casino floors

Asked if it was fair to only give an exemption to casinos, Corzine answered, “Is
it fair to undermine the economic well-being of an enormous asset like the
casinos, which claim that this will have real impact with their ability to
compete with Las Vegas or all of the other elements of gaming around the country
or around the globe?”

I ask, is it fair to treat casino workers as second-class citizens compared to other workers around Our Fair State?

The bill is S-1089/A2067. Write your state senators to let them know how you feel.

Include the casinos!

Shirley Turner(D-Ewing), and John Adler(D-Cherry Hill), have introduced S-1089 - and in the Assembly, Jim Wheelan(D-Atlantic County) and Reed Gusciora(D-Trenton) have introduced A2067- to include Atlantic City casinos in Our Fair State's Smoke Free Air Act, which goes into effect April 15.

Why should casino workers not get the protection from secondhand smoke that the rest of Our Fair State gets? The casinos should never have gotten an exemption in the first place, so let's get them in now.

The bill is supposed to be in the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee soon. Make your voice heard.

You'd think that people would have had enough of silly lawsuits

Right next to each other in today's Times of Trenton:

Judge won't block appointment

TRENTON (AP) - A superior court judge yesterday rejected an effort by two lawyers to force a special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat Jon Corzine will vacate next week. Corzine, when he becomes governor next week, will name his own replacement, and has chosen Rep. Robert Menendez, D-Union City, for the senate seat.
After hearing about an hour of testimony, Mercer County Superior Court Judge Linda R. Feinberg ruled that state statutes and the U.S. Constitution clearly allow a governor to make such appointments.
The ruling was another defeat for Carl Mayer and Bruce Afran, two Princeton Township lawyers known to accuse both Democrats and Republicans of subverting the democratic process.

Bowling alley owners fight smoking ban (Also AP article but not up on Times's site, found on newsday.com)

TRENTON, N.J. -- Bowling alley owners, who oppose an imminent statewide ban on indoor smoking, have filed a lawsuit asserting that Richard J. Codey does not have the authority to sign the measure into law. In its filing Tuesday, the Bowling Proprietors Association of New Jersey claims that his service as governor ended with the passing of the 211th Legislature, which formally ended Tuesday morning. Codey, who is state Senate president, became acting governor in November 2004 after Gov. James E. McGreevey resigned.
The bowling group maintains that Codey is no longer governor because the new Senate term does not begin until Jan. 17.

Makes my head spin, the resources that are wasted on silliness such as this.

The costly indoor smoking ban

Some members of the Assembly are worried that the proposed indoor smoking ban will cut into state revenues from cigarette taxes.

But during a recent meeting of a state budgeting panel, Assemblyman Joseph Cryan, D-Union, worried the smoking ban might affect how much money the state earns from that cigarette tax.
He said the ban, if approved, could cut into cigarette sales, especially in indoor public places such as hotels, bars and restaurants.

Yeah, it will. I thought that was part of the point.

Here's some interesting numbers:

Under New Jersey law, the first $150 million raised by the cigarette tax goes
into a health-care subsidy fund used to help pay for medical care for those
lacking health insurance.
The next $390 million goes into health programs,
the next $50 million to the Economic Development Authority to pay debt on school
projects and the next $45 million to anti-smoking initiatives.

So, we're using the tax on sales of a deadly product to fund health care, school construction and anti-smoking programs. That's nice.

Here's what I'd like to see. If they enact an indoor working-place smoking ban, how many people are estimated to quit smoking? What's the savings to Our Fair State for not having these folks in the health-care system? Cross that with the numbers of the loss of their cigarette-tax revenue. I can't find the numbers or I'd do the math for us.

Let's face it though, I don't care about the tax savings/costs. The ban is simply the right thing to do. Smoking is deadly, there is no doubt about it, and anything we do to discourage this behavior is great. Anything we do to lower exposure to second-hand smoke for nonsmokers is great. Someone's right to smoke doesn't trump my right to good health, not when there's an easily available venue to smoke called "outside" (and "your own home.")

Enact the ban. S1926 and A3424, if you should want to write your legislators to voice your support (or even if you want to voice your disagreement. Write your legislators to let them know how you feel.)