Carl Icahn-Owned Trump Taj Mahal Gives Workers Final Strike Ultimatum, Should Resolve by Monday
Workers picketing the Trump Taj Mahal have until 5 pm ET on Monday, July 18 to accept a brand new health care offer, or it is off the dining table for good. That’s the word this week through the Atlantic City casino’s owner, Icahn Enterprises.
Striking union workers outside the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City also demonstrated outside Donald Trump’s nyc offices this week.
The strike at the Taj is ongoing since Friday, July 1, when around 1,000 bar staff, chefs, porters, and cleansers, organized by Local 54 of the Unite-HERE union, walked off the premises in protest at the loss of health care and retirement benefits.
Action continued over the normally lucrative Independence Day celebrations and has shown no signs of abating. Organizers have said the plan offered up by the casino’s management represents ‘a shadow’ of the healthcare great things about other Atlantic City casino workers, and that industrial action shall continue for ‘as long as it takes.’
Rightsized Benefits
Carl Icahn rescued the Taj from chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2014. The billionaire corporate raider and activist investor agreed to battle nearly all its $286 million debt as part of the purchase agreement.
He additionally promised to show that debt into equity and to take a position into the property, but just if Atlantic City therefore the courts granted him the temporary cessation of worker retirement and healthcare benefits.
The courts complied, but now, with a few signs of recovery within the Atlantic City casino sector, union workers want their benefits to reflect the uptick. Industry analysts have called the seaside resort’s amount of gaming houses ‘rightsized,’ following the closures of several properties on the last few years. Local 54 says its workers want their benefits to too be rightsized.
Demos Outside Trump’s Ny Offices
This demonstrators headed for the Big Apple, and chants were heard outside of Donald Trump’s Manhattan offices week. Icahn has declared their support for A president that is potential trump whom as soon as stated that Icahn would create a great Secretary of the Treasury in their theoretical case. Icahn hasn’t expressed any curiosity about such a position, however.
Whilst the Trump Taj Mahal still bears the title associated with presumptive GOP nominee that is presidential he not any longer has any financial fascination with the home. Trump purchased in 1988, unfinished, for $230 million, but by the time it had been completed in 1990, construction expenses had escalated to $1 billion.
He declared the home bankrupt later that and then again in 2004, and the union still blames him for Atlantic City’s woes year.
‘Both Trump and Icahn took plenty of money out of this property, millions of dollars that may have been used to reconstruct it and provide wages that are good advantages for employees,’ union spokesman Ben Begleiter told the Associated Press. ‘Now Trump thinks Icahn should be operating America’s economy. Then all of America’s workers are in big trouble. if that happens,’
Aussie Pols Call for $1 Pokie Limits and Ban on TV Gambling adverts
Senator Nick Xenophon said that Australia’s parents are concerned by kids talking about chances as opposed to the overall game, a condition he puts down to extortionate gambling advertising during sports broadcasts. (Image: interstaff.com)
Australia’s pokie devices should be restricted to $1 per spin, while gambling advertising during recreations broadcasts that could be viewed by minors must certanly be banned, say two influential politicians that are australian.
Longtime gambling opponents Senator Nick Xenophon and Tasmanian independent MP Andrew Wilkie are demanding tighter regulation of Australia’s gambling industry, in a country where there was increasing cause for concern about the gambling habits of its citizens.
The proliferation of pokies, or slots, because they are known elsewhere, is a hugely controversial issue in Australia, sufficient reason for valid reason.
There are five time more slot devices in the country, per capita, than there are in the usa, and meanwhile, recent studies demonstrate that Australians spend more per head on gambling than virtually any country on the planet; twice as much as in the US and three times as much as in the UK.
In the last 12 months, the growth of gambling has outpaced the growth of the Australian economy by 100 percent, while Australians plow around AU$11 billion into pokie machines annually.
Turnbull U-turn
While Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s government has recently moved to ban in-play online betting in the nation, more comprehensive reforms happen compared by the influential Clubs Australia, an industry body representing 6,500 licensed social clubs across Australia, all of which count on revenue from gambling.
Turnbull, who had formerly supported reform, now says it’s up towards the governments of this Australia’s states and territories to decide their particular gambling rules. But Xenophon and Wilkie believe he is fudging the matter.
‘ We will be planning for a whole series of measures, both in the parliament and away from parliament, to deal with the problem of gambling reform and, in particular, one issue that has resonated through the community and that is in the issue of sports advertising that is betting’ said Xenophon in parliament this week.
‘ So many parents have approached every one of us to say they have been appalled their kids are speaking about … the chances of a game as opposed to the overall game itself.’
Untrustworthy Regulators
Wilkie added that the states had so far shown themselves to be ‘untrustworthy’ regulators, which meant that there had been a case that is strong federal intervention.
‘The case is compelling, also it is quite, really sad that until recently, parliamentarians have not seemed to care enough about the hurt caused by issue gambling; that parliamentarians are thrilled to be entirely away from step bondibet casino games with the majority that is vast of members associated with the community who desire strong reform,’ stated Wilkie.
Larry Flynt Scolds Gardena City Council Over Casino Signage and Last-Minute Tax Provision
The Gardena City Council isn’t laughing at Larry Flynt’s logo for his planned Lady that is lucky Casino the former home associated with the Normandie card club in California. (Image: Rex Features/Associated Press)
Larry Flynt has more money than 99.9 percent of US citizens, but in his home state of Ca the purveyor of all things risqué says he is like a citizen that is second-class.
Appearing before the Gardena City Council on July 12, the ‘Hustler’ publisher lashed out at the neighborhood board for voting against his fortunate Lady Casino sign and deciding to amend tax breaks previously afforded to the planned place.
As Casino.org reported in May, the Normandie Casino was closing after 75 years following the admission of guilt by the card club’s owners that money had been laundered through the casino. Flynt bought the home earlier this month for a price that is undisclosed.
He’s planning to renovate the Normandie and rebrand it since the Lucky Lady. Together with his Hustler Casino, Flynt now owns two card clubs in the populous city located south of la.
The council at first said it would provide substantial income tax breaks to Flynt. Nonetheless, City Manager Mitch Lansdell included a supply during the last minute that now states Flynt must pay $800,000 a month before any incentives apply. The City Council approved the change by a vote of 3-1.
‘ In the 16 years we’ve been down here, I’ve paid the city $80.5 million in taxation income,’ Flynt sternly told the panel. ‘ We saved the town from bankruptcy. We have been paying the populous city payroll . . . and I don’t think anyone has done as much for the populous city and received so little.’
Not Too Lucky
Apart from Flynt’s disappointment and anger throughout the council’s tax structure changes, he’s also at war with the city over his Lucky Lady branding. Flynt’s group offered a logo having a girl in a low-cut swimsuit with her feet draped across the ‘Y’ in Lucky.
Council member Tasha Cerda took offense.
‘I still believe this is offensive to women,’ Cerda stated. ‘For anybody who’s maybe not going into the casino, to see this image of a woman shaking her legs, scantily dressed, I recently do not think is good.’
But Flynt countered by saying the legislation is on their side. Flynt referenced a landmark decision by former US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia that warned governments to not try to legislate ‘taste.’
Ultimatum Delivered
Flynt says their plans to invest $60 million into the Normandie over the next four years are increasingly being put on hold. The card club is a rival that is former of Hustler Casino because the two properties are less than a mile aside.
Flynt was ready to go forward with upgrading the Normandie after the council said he would receive taxation incentives whenever his profits surpass $2 million per month.
Now guaranteed to be on the hook for $800,000 a flynt is walking away month.
‘A proposition that just a fool could sign, and I’m no fool,’ Flynt said. ‘I’ve never ever heard within my 50 years of business, I never ever, ever heard of a deal like that.’
It’s unclear if Lansdell and the Gardena City Council will require action to make renovating the Normandie more appealing to Flynt. The following scheduled meeting is July 26.
Interpol Arrests Over 4,000 Individuals taking part in Illegal Betting During Euro 2016 Football Tournament
Interpol is continuing its crusade against illegal recreations wagering, but the agency is being criticized by some for going after the tiny dudes instead of this operators that are multibillion-dollar. (Image: European Pressphoto Agency)
Interpol arrested more than 4,100 individuals and seized some $13.6 million from illegal sports gambling rings during this summer’s 2016 UEFA European Championship (Euro 2016).
The international legislation enforcement agency revealed on July 18 that it carried out two operations during the football tournament that is month-long.
Dubbed ‘Operation SOGA VI’ and ‘Aces,’ the 2 stings involved over 4,000 raids by police. Illegal gambling operators were targeted in China, France, Greece, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Southern Korea, and the Philippines.
Interpol believes those apprehended handled $649 million in wagers.
‘Illegal gambling generates massive profits for arranged crime networks which can be connected to corruption, human trafficking and money laundering,’ stated Jim Anderson, associate manager of Interpol’s Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes product. ‘The successes of Operations SOGA and Aces would not are achieved without global information sharing and the significant efforts by the law enforcement authorities on the ground.’
Massively Popular, Massively Corrupt
Football, or soccer as it’s more commonly known in the states, is the most sport that is popular the planet. The game is estimated to have 3.5 billion fans that watch, follow actively, or play soccer.
Its vast appeal makes it ideal for rogue criminal syndicates. And even though soccer requires a backseat to American football in the US, it generally does not keep corruption at bay.
The notorious Paul Phua made a good amount of headlines in 2014 when he presumably operated a boiler-style that is illegal community out of his villas at Caesars Palace in nevada. Though he was later on acquitted as tactics employed by investigators were extremely questionable, the instance highlighted the enduring potential risks of illegal activities betting.
The government that is federal over 90 % of the criminal cases it files, but it flopped on Phua.
Ongoing Problem
‘Operation SOGA VI’ was the sixth SOGA operation performed by Interpol since it began concentrating on criminal gambling in 2007. Up to now, Interpol claims $53 million in cash has been sized and over 3,400 illegal gambling dens have been halted.
According to Interpol, those detained had been responsible for assisting $6.4 billion worth of bets.
While Interpol is patting itself on the straight back, not all experts believe the agency is going about it the way that is right.
‘Interpol happens to be coordinating gambling that is anti-sport in Asia for years now, always with big arrest and seizure numbers associated with the easy-to-detect smaller street operators,’ International Centre for Sport protection Integrity Director Chris Eaton said in a statement.
‘The big organized gambling that is online turning over billions . . . escape this attention,’ Eaton declared. ‘Small-scale and police that is token look good, but have a tendency to enhance the mega illegal operators by cutting out the smaller ones.’
Eaton may have a valid point considering the FBI estimated Phua’s team had taken in $357 million in illegal bets in 2014.
The American Gaming Association claims Us citizens alone will bet nearly $139 billion illegally on sports in 2016. This is exactly why Interpol just intercepting $6.4 billion in bets over nine years might not be something to celebrate.
Jaime Costa 