CEASE and Local Union Urge Legislators to Prioritize Health and Safety Over Outdated Practices
June 11, 2024
Contact: ceasesmokingnj@gmail.com
Harrisburg, PA – Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE) joined UAW Region 9, which includes workers from across the State of Pennsylvania, at the Capitol building to urge state legislators to pass pro-worker bills specifically smokefree casino legislation that would protect their health and safety.
Longtime advocate Rep. Dan Frankel has actively pursued smokefree legislation to close the indoor smoking loophole in casinos and joined casino workers at the rally.
“Legislators have a responsibility to stand with workers, and that means ensuring the safety of everyone in the workplace, starting with eliminating indoor smoking in our casinos,” said Jennifer Rubolino, a table games dealer at Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh and a member of Pennsylvania’s Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects. “Closing the casino smoking loophole is not just a moral duty but a smart decision for the state, especially considering that 90% of guests do not smoke. We’ve seen the success of smokefree casinos in this state, like Parx Casino, which has voluntarily operated smokefree. 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.”
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. Parx Casino, the top revenue-generating casino in Pennsylvania, has voluntarily operated smokefree for several years, experiencing increased market share and even a reported 40% rebate on health insurance premiums due to having healthier employees.
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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.
