Local 54 Union, Jersey Lawmakers Force Icahn to Consider Taj Sale

icahn atlantic city sweeney brown mazzeo taj mahal
TAJ Owner Carl Icahn

Making Atlantic City business-friendly and putting people back to work. Easier said than done, if not downright impossible in Atlantic City.

TAJ owner Carl Icahn, frustrated by political roadblocks, now considering selling control of his recently shuttered Atlantic City Boardwalk property. That’s according to a New York Post report.

After a summer-long strike forced TAJ MAHAL casino to close on OCT 10, most believe Icahn wants to re-open his Boardwalk property and a hire thousands. Sounds great, right? It could be, but Icahn now faces quickly-crafted hurdles courtesy of our very own NJ lawmakers, politicians that claim to be protectors of hard-working families in Atlantic County.

South Jersey Politicians Support Keeping Taj Mahal Closed in Atlantic City.

Icahn is credited for the successful turn-around of the once decrepit Tropicana. But now, Icahn is fighting legislative lunacy supported by New Jersey Senators Sweeney and Whelan, along with Assemblymen Brown and Mazzeo. WTF? It’s no surprise that these elected leaders, especially our South Jersey leadership, now facing harsh public backlash for their Local 54 union pandering.

NJ State legislators want a 5 year gaming suspension on any Atlantic City casino that shuts down after un-successful union negotiations. Icahn is the lone target of this employment-killing legislation.

Ironically, President-elect Trump just named Carl Icahn as special adviser on regulatory reform.

Carl Icahn: “There are many very good regulations, but the problem is there are also many regulations that are just absurd,” Icahn told The New York Post. “If you want jobs in this country, you cannot have business perceive that the government is at war with them.”

“The bill is another absurd antic by [New Jersey Senate President Stephen] Sweeney that will hurt Atlantic City,” Icahn told The Post. This move could be unconstitutional, especially since it’s retroactive, Icahn said.

Bob McDevitt, president of the casino workers’ union (Local 54), played chicken with TAJ in Atlantic City, and lost.

From the comfort of his well-paid position, McDevitt kept union members from their most profitable part of the year. The summer 2016 TAJ strike also hurt the 1,000+ non-union TAJ workers. Neighboring Steel Pier, Hard Rock Cafe and Showboat Hotel suffered collateral damage too. Noisy strikers scared away customers from this part of the Atlantic City Boardwalk.

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