| Atlantic City, NJ — Bipartisan legislation to eliminate the casino smoking loophole and stop forcing workers to choose between their health and a paycheck is poised to advance after Senator Joe Vitale, the lead sponsor of S264 and the chair of the Senate Health Committee, pushed back on industry arguments and said he plans to advance the bill in early spring, according to the New Jersey Monitor.
“They try to cloud the argument with job loss or financial ruin,” said Vitale, chair of the Senate Health Committee. “None of that will happen, but they like to scare them employees — ‘you’ll lose your job if we stop smoking in the casino,’ notwithstanding the fact that the croupiers are getting lung cancer and emphysema because people constantly blow smoke in their face.”
This comes as the South Jersey Times this morning published an editorial urging legislators to act to close the loophole:
“There’s no evidence that a permanent ban would ‘kill’ any of the casino hotels, most of which are on a winning streak. The state enacted a law late last year that alters the way the gaming halls are assessed payments in lieu of (property) taxes, saving them millions and making them healthier and stronger. It’s about time we could say the same about their dealers, servers, security guards and custodial help.”
Read the entire editorial here.
In the last few days, Governor Murphy responded to a casino worker who asked about this issue and said he’s talking to legislative leadership about the bill. “It’s something I speak to legislative leaders about, without question,” said Murphy.
Background
A new video, “A Loophole in NJ Law Is Killing Casino Workers,” highlights the urgency of the casino workers’ fight to close the casino loophole.
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR NONSMOKERS’ RIGHTS
Americans for Nonsmoker’s Rights (ANR) is a member-supported, non-profit advocacy group that has been working for 45 years, since 1976, to protect everyone’s right to breathe nontoxic air in workplaces and public places, from offices and airplanes to restaurants, bars, and casinos. ANR has continuously shined a light on the tobacco industry’s interference with sound and life-saving public health measures and successfully protected 61% of the population with local or statewide smokefree workplace, restaurant, and bar laws. ANR aims to close gaps in smokefree protections for workers in all workplaces, including bars, music venues, casinos, and hotels. For more information, please visit https://no-smoke.org/ and https://smokefreecasinos.org/. |
