Local 54 is really making things miserable for AC

[DaBurglar]

Laying the blame for Atlantic City's downfall is always a fruitless exercise since there is so much of it to go around. and there clearly were so many factors and things at work......City Officials/Politicians and NJ Gaming officials deserve some blame.....obviously, many of the so-called "Executive Management" of the various casino companies that have come and gone deserve a large share........and of course, the EMPLOYEES and the UNION that represents many AC casino workers (local 54) deserve blame.But as of right now, in the case of the ONGOING saga of the TAJ MAHAL, and the efforts by Carl Icahn to renovate and turn the place around (like he did very successfully with the Tropicana),  it is very clear that the Union Local 54 is causing a boatload of headaches and difficulties, and it is entirely possible that, despite Mr. Icahn's best efforts, the Union Local 54 may ultimately cause the turnaround of the TAJ to FAIL and result in the closure of the casino, which, in my own personal case, and opinion, would be a catastrophic blow to AC's long term viability.Has anyone been keeping up with the latest?    If not, read here (or visit the website of the TAJ MAHAL on your own):http://www.trumptaj.com/and  ESPECIALLY THIS!http://www.trumptaj.com/d/trumptaj/medi ... 92015.pdfI have no doubt that Carl Icahn, as a businessman, i sultimately interested in turning the TAJ into a profitable entity for HIS OWN sake, but I also NOW believe more than I ever have that the man is not nearly as cold or greedy as I once did, but instead he TRULY is going out of his way to TRY and save this decrepit casino and make it into a WIN-WIN solution for all involved!Furthermore, the more I have looked into the leadership.management of the UNION local 54, the more I am aghast at how awful these leaders really are, how selfish they are and how UNCONCERNED they are for the LONG TERM benefit of their very own Union members.   At first I did not want to believe this and gave the Union Local 54 leaders the benefit of several doubts......no longer.   They are truly being flat out DISHONEST and Fraudulent in their allegations against Icahn, trying to prey on the ignorance and emotions of their own union members!!      Their motivation is simple:  THEY currently live luxurious lives as the heads of the union, and remember they are not self made business men or even educated MBA types who achieved something on their own merit:  Union leadership tends to be former Union members (i.e. they themselves used to be the cooks, waiters, dealers, etc.)    Now, after having been ELECTED (or something similar), they are earning Hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more) a year in their positions as Union Leaders.     The Healthplan of Union Local 54 is a clear example of the conflict of interest of these union leaders, who obviously derive huge riches from maintaining the status quo for THEMSELVES, without regard to the actual BUSINESS SITUATION.Egad, what a awful situation....but let us HOPE ICAHN exposes them and does not give up on the TAJ.....if he can turn it around like he did Tropicana, the benefit to AC, and even us players who love AC, will be great!

[DaBurglar]

On June 17, there was a "PROTEST" staged by the Union Local 54 outside the TAJ  in Atlantic City....read about it here (or one story's report about it...):http://kelo.com/news/articles/2015/jun/ ... -cuts/Then, read this statement issued by Mr. Carl "Yes" Icahn:June 17, 2015: Carl Icahn Issues Statement Concerning Today’s Local 54 Protest

I continue to think it’s absurd that instead of working to improve
Atlantic City at a time when the city is down on its luck, this Union
spends time, effort and money to purposefully destroy one of the few
remaining employers in town.   I’m baffled by how they don’t see that
their destructive efforts may well result in 3,000 less jobs.  In the
end, what the Union doesn’t tell you is that they make money on their
exorbitant healthcare plan – upwards of $140 million of net income over
the past 5 years – and that is why they are more intent on fighting for
their Union healthcare plan instead of saving jobs.  What is eminently
clear is that even with the savings awarded by the bankruptcy judge, the
Taj continues to lose millions every month.   I can say that the Union
has been successful in one thing:  causing three casinos, the Showboat,
Plaza and Atlantic Club, to all close over the past year or two.Now.......what does everyone think of all this?     I am now totally convinced the Union leadership, with Mr. Bob Mcdevitt in charge, is completely shortsighted and probably corrupt to be heading down the suicidal  business path it is on, whereby if it forces Taj to close it loses all those jobs (3000 at least).....it makes you wonder what is truly going on here....Here is something to consider:  the Employees Union, apparently, in protesting the Court's decision to rule in Favor of Icahn by cutting the workers Benefits,  feels that instead of Icahn insisting on all these benefits cuts to lowly workers, he should be cutting and slashing the salaries of the highest, upper level managers  and focusing a LOT more on attracting new customers to restore the property to fiscal stability via that route......Of course, I myself would LOVE to see things at the Taj "fixed" via slashing the salaries of the idiots who were in charge instead of cutting workers health & Pension benefits, and I would LOVE to see places like the TAJ truly go on a promotion binge and attract a slew of new customers, as well as get "old" lost customers back.....but this is probably NOT reasonable for a while, perhaps a lONG while, until Icahn invests in a whole new facelift and structural improvements for TAj, which he will only do is he slashes his overhead everywhere else he can!    As he himself has said, the workers can get healthcare from Obamacare and he gave each of then 2 grand to make this easier.....hence his court ordered "slashing of worker health benefits" was not really that cruel of a blow;  it is all about the union president and his immediate underlings NOT wanting to lose this outrageously over profitable 140 million dollar health plan that is supposedly at risk!!!!      If you look into the past history of Local 54 the management has been shady to say the least....stories of nepotism abound, and the union leadership since the early part of the decade (2002 / 2003) has given itself a series of "raises" that now put their compensation in the high six figure range (possibly higher when other things are factored in...)   Outrageous