By Christie Duffy
Correspondent
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder behind Assemblyman Chris Brown, workers shouted things like “We need our jobs!” and “Middle class!”
And they shouted down talk of moving casino jobs out-of-state or to North Jersey.
Caesars plans to close the Showboat casino in Atlantic City in August. Brown says 2,100 jobs are at stake.
“They are choosing to close a profitable casino, while they are choosing to build an $880 million new casino in New York, which is competition to us,” Brown said.
The Republican assemblyman is calling for Caesars to sell the casino to keep it open. And he says opening a casino in North Jersey, like in the Meadowlands, would be a mistake.
Single mom Melanie Gillespie, an 18-year employee, says she’s depended on her job at Showboat to raise her daughter.
“You know I’ve missed Thanksgivings and Christmas, birthdays. It’s just heartbreaking that this company would turn around and do this to us after being so loyal for all this time,” she said.
Dean Graziani says he’s been an employee since day one, when the doors opened in 1987.
“My wife works here too. This is impacting my whole family. We don’t know what we are gonna do. We have a mortgage. And I got two kids in college,” he said.
“I really worry about my dad and my mom. I feel bad for them. I feel bad for everyone that is losing their job,” said Michael Graziani, Dean’s son.
Brown says if Caesars or any other casino operator does not sell to a willing buyer, they should be held accountable .
“You violated your agreement to provide jobs. And so it’s only fair that the state says to you, ‘You pay us back every economic incentive you received so that you could open the casino in the first place,'” Brown said.
The assemblyman says it’s his understanding that Caesars is willing to accept an offer to sell. But, he says, he’d like to see it through before placing any bets on if Showboat employees’.
Brown plans to introduce three bills designed to encourage casinos that are closing to make every effort to sell, prohibit casinos from using anti-competitive deed restrictions and limit ownership so one corporation can own only two casino licenses.
Caesars did not respond to our requests today for comment.
As for Brown’s bills, they won’t be able to help these workers anytime soon. The state Assembly is adjourned for the summer.