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Posted: Thursday, 06 July 2006 11:51AM
Casino Worker Rally Against Shut-Down
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Trenton, NJ -- Hundreds of casino workers and state employees rallied outside New Jersey's capitol Thursday in protest of a state government shutdown that is keeping more than 80,000 people out of work.
``The money is just dwindling down,'' said Cheryl Fogu, 50, of Brick, who works for the state attorney general's office. ``They just don't realize what they're doing to us.''
Six days into a state government shutdown, New Jersey's governor and lawmakers appeared no closer to a deal to close a $4.5 billion state budget shortfall.
With no budget, the state can't pay its employees, which has caused a ripple effect across New Jersey: About 45,000 state workers are off the job, including state gambling inspectors; without the gambling inspectors, Atlantic City's 12 casinos had to shut their doors Wednesday, putting 36,000 casino employees out of work.
Fogu said she has put off paying her water bill, but mortgage can't wait.
``We live paycheck to paycheck,'' she said.
Gov. Jon S. Corzine, a Democrat, shut down all but essential state government operations starting Saturday after the Democrat-controlled Legislature missed a July 1 deadline to pass the state budget.
Corzine's plan to balance the budget is to raise the state sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent, but several Senate Democrats and most Assembly Democrats oppose him, saying the tax would be regressive and unnecessary.
Assembly Democrats on Wednesday laid out their own $30.7 billion budget plan, which would rely on taxing other services, extending casino taxes and creating a new corporate income tax.
``Need I say, once again, this is a deplorable set of circumstances and the people of the state of New Jersey have every right to be angry,'' Corzine told lawmakers Thursday morning. ``Let's put New Jerseyans back to work and let them go on with their everyday lives.''
On Wednesday, state parks, beaches and race tracks were ordered to closed. Casino dealers were sent home in mid-shift, gamblers cashed in their chips before being ushered to the exits, and janitors locked the doors behind them. Atlantic City's 12 casinos stand to lose more than $16 million a day, and the state is losing an estimated $1.3 million a day in taxes the normally generate.
About 36,000 state workers in vital roles, such as child welfare, state police and mental hospitals, are still working, but without pay.
``No one wants to see people lose their jobs. We hope this gets resolved as quickly as possible,'' said Linda Kassekert, chairwoman of the state Casino Control Commission.
While gambling ceased, the buildings _ which also have restaurants, showrooms, stores and meeting space _ stayed open. But many gamblers headed for the exits rather than stay around.
At Trump Taj Mahal, 150 people had canceled room reservations by mid-afternoon. Spokesman Tom Hickey said about 2,500 people would be out of work at the three Trump casinos.
In Jersey City, Felix Morales showed up at the gate of Liberty State Park with his family to go fishing, but was turned away.
``Why should the citizens pay for something that the government should have fixed before it got to this point?'' he asked.
The effects of the budget stalemate have frustrated the state's plan to stockpile influenza medicine in case of a flu pandemic. Officials reserved 907,000 courses of antiviral drug Tamiflu from a federal stockpile, but can't order or pay for the drugs without a budget, said Dr. Fred Jacobs, the state health commissioner.
The deadlock was even being felt over the state line in New York, where limousine services reported cancellations as gamblers chose not to rent cars and drivers to ferry them to Atlantic City.
``I'm getting killed, people have canceled like crazy,'' said Stan Spirn, owner of Stan's Limousine Service.
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© MMVI The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Graphic Content © MMVI WCBS-AM 880.
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