Improving the Odds for UNITE HERE Casino Workers

In the fall of 2004, casino owners in Atlantic City were dealing union workers a bad hand by trying to cut health care benefits and wages that had been guaranteed 25 years earlier. After being shut out of contract negotiations, UNITE HERE casino workers went on strike at seven casinos, including Bally's, Caesars, and Harrah's.

With the odds for a fair contract stacked against the workers, Abernathy Associates helped extend the picket line beyond the confines of Atlantic City to where the gaming patrons live: the pro-union communities of New York City, Philadelphia, and northern New Jersey.

The firm produced and placed radio ads featuring workers, actor Danny Glover, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and NAACP President Mfume Kweisi. As the public learned which casinos had good contracts and which ones to boycott, the owners began to feel the pressure.

Additional publicity was created through a full-blown rally and concert starring hip-hop artist and activist Wyclef Jean in front of the Showboat Casino. The event drew more than 10,000 supporters, who marched throughout the city in support of a fair contract.

In just one month, the union's moral picket line created economic pressure on the casinos, and management returned to the table. The striking workers approved a strong contract and returned to work with their health benefits intact.

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