UAW and CEASE Hold Rally Outside NCLGS Meeting to Share Their Stories and Call Legislators to Action
Rep. Frankel Urges Colleagues to Pass Smokefree Legislation
July 18, 2024
Pittsburgh, PA—Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE) and the United Auto Workers (UAW), which represents thousands of Pennsylvania workers and retirees, joined lawmakers and casino workers to urge state legislators to pass comprehensive smokefree legislation at a rally outside the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS) meeting at Rivers Pittsburgh Casino today.
“While casino executives and legislators sit in offices with clean air, business as usual, workers are continuously in danger of illness and sickness,” said Jennifer Rubolino, a table games dealer at Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh. “Closing the casino smoking loophole is not just a moral duty but a smart decision, especially considering that 90% of guests do not smoke. How do you put a price on the health of employees? We urge legislators to pass comprehensive smokefree laws to ensure that no one has to sacrifice their health for a paycheck.”
At the rally, casino employees highlighted the well-documented risks associated with secondhand smoke, pointing to numerous studies that demonstrate the severe health impacts of working in environments where indoor smoking is permitted, and shared their stories of smoking’s impact on their health.
HB1657 would amend the Clean Indoor Air Act to close the casino smoking loophole. Longtime advocate Rep. Dan Frankel (D-23), lead sponsor of the legislation, called for swift passage to protect casino workers from secondhand smoke.
“So many casino workers have built careers over years and decades because they enjoy the work and they make good money. These are folks who want to entertain you and create a fun experience for you, but they don’t want to do it at the expense of their own health, and they absolutely shouldn’t have to,” said Rep. Frankel. “Casinos and other establishments are refusing to protect the health and safety of their employees by eliminating indoor smoking, so legislators have no choice but to do it for them. We must pass HB1657.”
“Pennsylvania workers should not have to choose between their health and their paycheck, which is why lawmakers have eliminated smoking inside restaurants and in businesses and workplaces across the state. But for too long, casinos have been exempted from this protection, and casino workers across the Commonwealth have suffered as a result,” said Wence Valentin III, UAW Region 9 International CAP/Retiree Representative. “Leaders in Harrisburg must act now to close the casino smoking loophole and ensure that casino workers can breathe clean air at work.”
Speakers pointed to Parx Casino in Philadelphia, which has been smoke free since the pandemic and continues to lead Pennsylvania’s gaming industry as a top revenue-generating casino. After the success of Parx, Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment opened another smoke free casino in Shippensburg, proving that eliminating indoor smoking not only protects the workers within the casino, but produces economic results.
“Some casinos across the state have been smokefree since the pandemic and seen incredible economic growth. Parx Casino in Philadelphia is a prime example, with increased market share and 40% rebate on health insurance premiums,” said Cynthia Hallett, president and CEO of Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights. “Smokefree casinos have been outperforming smoking counterparts and simultaneously prioritizing the well-being of their workforces. By eliminating indoor smoking, casinos will be investing in worker health and profits.”
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Casino Employees Against Smoking (Harmful) Effects (CEASE) is a group of thousands of casino dealers and other frontline gaming workers that formed after indoor smoking returned on July 4, 2021 in Atlantic City, NJ and has expanded to states around the country. CEASE is fighting to permanently remove smoking from our workplaces. For more information, visit ceasesmoking.org.
