Trump Taj Mahal Strike

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Close to 1,000 workers at the [Trumep Taj mahal] casino went on strike at 6 a.m. ET Friday after it failed to reach a deal with union negotiators, the union UNITE Here said.
The staff walking off the job include cooks, housekeepers, bellmen and servers, the union said.

The Atlantic City casino industry has been struggling with four casinos having closed in the last few years. Moody's credit rating service suggested in December that even more of the eight remaining casinos may close, as out-of-state competition heats up. The city government itself is trying to avoid its own bankruptcy.

The Trump Taj Mahal is owned by financier Carl Icahn. Despite the name, Donald Trump no longer runs or owns the casino. Icahn Enterprises didn't immediately respond to a request for comment early Friday.
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Ref: CNN Money

The July 4th Weekend is the most profitable weekend of the year for Atlantic City resorts and casinos and souvenir peddlers and salt water taffy manufacturers.

DonDiego supposes the weekend will not be profitable for "the Taj" this year.

A strike at a bankrupt casino during one of the biggest weekends of the year - nobody accused AC casino unions of being bright.

This is one of the hotels that Trump lost in a bankruptcy, right?

This is the one that started his first bankruptcy. The one where he lost his y yacht and fledgling airline, as well as his personal jet.
I'm not sure why his name is still on it.

Wrong.

I miss the old Atlantic City where casino after casino lined the boardwalk. I understand that the PA and NY casinos took a bite out of their revenue, but the casinos did little to help themselves. Room rates are still sky high for those who do not receive comps. Why not lower the rates, pull more visitors in, get them into the bars and restaurants, gift shops, shows, and make money that way?

I'll be heading there in another week for a couple of nights to finish off my vacation week. I will spend most of my time at the Trop where they appreciate my business by offering me free rooms, buffet, gifts. I have no desire to spread my money around at casinos that offer me nothing in return. While in AC, I spend most of my time at the Trop and I also visit Harrahs on the marina, which offers me rooms not only in AC but also in Vegas when I visit.

I miss the Sands casino, closed down and is now a grassy area making no money for anyone. I also miss Trump Plaza and the Hilton, both great places to play. I hope the rest of the casino hotels hang on, it would be a shame to lose more of them.

The closing of the Sands and the surrounding businesses gutted the center of the boardwalk, and soon after Harrah's started charging players tax on comped rooms.
That was a double whammy that turned me off.

I just spent 3 nights at the Taj last week and I have never seen Atlantic City, especially the Taj, as crowded as it was during my last 5 years of going here. It took 1 hour and 15 minutes to check in at 2pm and the line was stretching into the casino.
Mr. I is starting to invest some money in the property and it is starting to show. The pool area was recently redone and is very nice, more restaurants are staying open later and there are even some of the newer slot machines in the casino. Even the buffet which has been closed for about 3 years was scheduled to be re-opened at the end of July.
It seems a shames that just as the place seems to be turning around, the workers decide to go on strike.
I was talking to one of the bartenders and even though the union says 96% of the workers decided to strike, he thought that wasn't close to the correct numbers as the people he talked to seemed to be split 50-50. Some of the workers were just starting to get back to the 40 hour a week level and getting back on their feet financially.
Somehow I think Taj management can hold out longer than the striking union in this battle.

I'm hearing there is a shortage of hotel rooms. Many of the hotels are full on weekends.

I miss the Sands. Fun place. Don't miss Trump Plaza. Never liked it there. Stopped going to the Hilton when they stopped comping drinks at the Dizzy Dolphin. It was all downhill after that. Plus it was so smokey at the Hilton.

The strike continues as the city tries to avert bankruptcy