17 minute read
Union Matters
Union to vote on authorizing Atlantic City casino strike
By WAYNE PARRY
Associated Press
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP)—Atlantic City’s main casino workers union will vote Wednesday on whether to authorize a strike against the city’s casinos, with whom they have yet to reach new contract agreements.
Local 54 of the Unite Here union says its members will decide whether union leadership can call a strike against any or all of the nine casinos. Contracts with the casinos expired nearly two weeks ago, and talks have yet to produce a new agreement.
“We’ve been saying for some time now that casino workers need a real raise,” Unite Here Local 54 Union President Bob McDevitt said. “We’re two weeks past our contract expiration, and we’ll continue to try to get there with the companies, but we’re taking a vote this week to put in the hands of the negotiating committee the power to call a strike, if necessary.”
No target date for a potential walkout has been set, but an obvious date would be the July 4 holiday weekend, which is crucial to the casinos’ business plans as one of the busiest times of the year.
A “yes” vote will not result in an immediate strike. It simply gives the union’s negotiating committee, comprised of workers from all nine casinos, the power to call a strike if and when they see fit.
But it would be likely to increase pressure on the casinos as they negotiate with the union, which says it is seeking “significant” wage increases in the next contract to help workers deal with financial setbacks caused by the coronavirus pandemic and rapidly rising prices.
The labor dispute comes at an uncertain time in Atlantic City: the casinos and their online partners are collectively making more money now than before the pandemic hit.
But the casinos say those statistics are misleading because they get to keep only about 30% of online and sports betting money, with the rest going to their thirdparty partners. They say that in-person revenue won from gamblers is the crucial metric, and not all the casinos have surpassed their pre-pandemic levels.
The union went on strike in 2004 for 34 days, and walked out against the former Trump Taj Mahal casino in July 2016, which ended with the casino shutting down in October of that year. It has since reopened under different ownership as the Hard Rock.
So far, the union has secured agreements with the Ocean Casino Resort and Bally’s to honor the terms of contracts eventually reached with some of the larger casino companies in town, but no contracts have yet been agreed upon.
Members of Local 54 of the Unite Here casino workers union picket outside the Tropicana casino in Atlantic City N.J. on June 1, 2022 after contracts expired. On Wednesday June 15 the union's members will vote on whether to authorize their leaders to call a strike if new contracts are not reached soon. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)
Workers vote to become first unionized Starbucks in Alabama
Associated Press
Starbucks has until later this week to file any objections with the National Labor Relations Board after workers at a shop in Birmingham became the first of the company’s locations in Alabama to vote to organize.
Baristas and other employees at a downtown store voted 27-1 to organize in a tally announced Thursday, news outlets reported. Documents show they would be represented by Workers United if the vote stands.
Company officials didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment on whether Starbucks would challenge the vote—the latest in a series of wins for labor at Starbucks stores across the nation.
The employees had the backing of Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, who publicly expressed his solidarity with the workers. Employees who supported the union complained about a lack of respect from management.
Alex Buford, a Starbucks employee for three years who transferred to the store six months ago, also cited racial discrimination as a problem.
“There’s a lot of racial issues that we’ve been dealing with, managers purposely cutting our hours, attacking us for no reason,” she told al.com. “A lot of us have complained and the managers, they’re just not hearing us out, or they’re not really listening to us, or they say they’re listening but they’re not really listening.”
A Starbucks in Buffalo, New York, became the first in the United States to unionize late last year. Based in Seattle, the company has more than 34,000 stores worldwide.
(Bill Moore photo)
Ms. Griner’s ordeal
For more than a century elite Black American athletes have been at the center of controversy on international stages. When Jack Johnson defeated Tommy Burns for the heavyweight championship in 1908 in Australia it created an uproar; in Berlin at the 1936 Olympics after the great sprinter Jesse Owens won several Gold Medals it caused Adolph Hitler to leave the stadium; Tennis immortal Althea Gibson stunned Wimbledon in 1956 when she became the first African American woman to win the singles championship; and when John Carlos and Tommy Smith with black gloved fists expressed their political views on the victory podium in Mexico in 1968, the Olympic committee suspended them from the team.
Now comes WNBA star Brittney Griner, currently held in detention in Moscow and charged with drug smuggling. Of course, we are not comparing the clamor around Ms. Griner with the other historic moments, but it’s hard to ignore the intersection of discrimination and racism in each of the incidents.
Griner, for those unfamiliar with her ordeal, was arrested four months ago after Russian officials claimed she was in possession of vape cartridges bearing traces of hash oil
in her luggage as she moved EDITORIAL through customs at Moscow’s international airport. This occurred on Feb. 17 one week before Russia invaded Ukraine, but it wasn’t revealed that she was detained until after the war began. A critical concern in the whole affair is the extent to which her arrest and detention—and possible conviction that could lead to a 10-year sentence—is part of Russia’s plan to use her as a pawn in a prisoner exchange with the U.S. Like the political intrigue and drama that proceeded from the other incidents with Black American athletes, to properly contextualize them requires a deep dive into global affairs, particularly when it comes at a time of world events that have ramifications for America’s interest, either socially, culturally or economically. What we know for certain is that the above mentioned Black athletes embroiled in these circumstances often had their careers hampered, if not altogether waylaid, and this was especially detrimental to Jack Johnson, John Carlos, and Tommy Smith. We can only speculate that the repercussions from this ordeal in Moscow will be a troubling obstacle in Ms. Griner’s promising career, and let us hope that she doesn’t turn out to be a pawn in Putin’s game.
Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher
and Editor in Chief Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor Nayaba Arinde: Editor Cyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor
What does the summer mean for our safety?
By DR. CLARENCE WILLIAMS JR.
This is the time of the year that creates a perfect storm. Our children are saying goodbye to the school year, the weather is getting warmer, outdoor activities increase, more cars are on the road and the issues that the fourth of July bring are always imminent. Not coincidentally, this is also the time when after what has already been a violent year, criminal and violent activities increase. If history is any teacher, this year will not be an exception. The mayor has created the position of gun violence czar to combat the surge in gun violence that has plagued the city. As commendable as this is, the mayor must be proactive in planning for the summer. Crime is a multi-tiered epidemic in New York City. It’s not just gun violence, although this is a major concern, we cannot ignore quality of life concerns that seem to accompany the more serious crimes. These crimes consist of fare evasion, shoplifting, unlicensed ATVs and dirt bikes, harassment, assault and so on. The belief that decreasing gun violence by taking guns off the streets and monitoring highways will change our environment this summer is very optimistic. When the mayor campaigned, he stated that he would have longterm and short-term solutions. Getting guns off the street is long term. It will not happen overnight. We must begin to look at those mid-level crimes to improve the morale of the people of the city.
Now let’s keep in mind this does not fall squarely on the shoulders of the mayor. To achieve the goal of reducing crime in our neighborhoods, we will have to accept and adjust to new realities and become accustomed to a new norm. For example, all laws must be enforced; this includes loitering and traffic violations. Loitering is a tough one because it’s not so much the gathering of people but the activities that sometimes accompany it, such as gambling, consumption of alcohol or drugs, and having barbecues on the sidewalks. If the mayor were to address these violations, some in the community would push back and say it’s overpolicing, but we can’t have it both ways. I compare this to airline check-ins. Everyone is required to take off their shoes to defend against terrorism. We go through metal detectors to go to sporting events and concerts. These are some of the concessions we make for our overall peace of mind and security.
See SUMMER SAFETY on page 45
We need an honest conversation about how to fund housing in New York City
By JAY MARTIN
The New York City Rent Guidelines Board is currently considering rent adjustments for the upcoming year. Its own data, supporting research and analysis from the Furman Center at New York University, and expert opinions from other housing experts have reached the same conclusion. A modest rent adjustment from the RGB is necessary to stabilize New York City housing.
We want to work with the mayor, the New York City Council and other partners to create a sustainable pathway to better and more housing in New York City. Things New Yorkers desperately need.
This is why we fought for an additional $2,000,000,000 in funding for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP)––including registering thousands of tenants to get the help they needed.
We went to Albany to push for $800,000,000 in funding for the Housing Access Voucher Program. Because we believe struggling New Yorkers need housing and dignity.
We want to build more housing. We want to invest in our current housing. We want tenants to have reasonable rights. We actually want many of the same things as the folks that disagree with us.
Our goal is to give as many New Yorkers access to the best and most affordable housing there is by an equal effort from our members and our government partners.
But after a decade of rent freezes and de minimis increases, we need real relief. The heating bills have doubled. Water bills have increased. Property taxes have gone up. Inflation is over 8%. After years of bending, we are finally breaking. A reasonable correction is desperately needed from this RGB to allow our members the breathing room to ensure we can continue to provide safe and high-quality housing.
Whether it is the Haitian American family who owns several buildings in Flatbush, the third-generation Chinese American woman who manages properties in Chinatown, or the Mexican brothers who own 18 units in Corona, the numbers aren’t adding up for owners and property managers across New York City.
Our members are small business owners. We employ tens of thousands of New Yorkers and are an immense part of the New York City economy. According to all available data our request for a small rent adjustment is modest and is key to keeping folks employed with good housing and contributing to the New York City economy.
We’ll fight like hell for better housing policy, more government investment, more money for vouchers, better low- to mid-income housing, and lots more. We just need to build the bridge to get there.
An increase from the RGB will help our members keep up with costs. That’s all. It is a vital step in the right direction to the all-of-theabove housing approach New York City needs. Let’s get this done and move our city forward.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of the New York Amsterdam News. We continue to publish a variety of viewpoints so that we may know the opinions of others that may differ from our own.
ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS
Amber Heard’s social media post, made in the wake of the verdict and which is peddling the notion that the outcome of the Depp/Heard trial is a setback for women, is shameful, to say the least. This case was not about women. This case was about nothing other than finding the truth, irrespective of gender. The world and the jury listened to Heard’s testimony and saw the evidence with their own eyes. Unsurprisingly, few people believed a word out of her mouth and most everyone, including the jury as reflected in the verdict, saw that she was a liar.
Powerful woman have used their platforms to propagate completely fabricated lies about domestic violence and sexual assault that occurred against them. We’ve seen so many despicable instances of this, look no further than the Justice Kavanagh hearings during his nomination process to the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, this is just one of many examples. The blunt reality is that the “believe all women” narrative is a farce; it only serves to destroy the lives of good men and to make it impossible for men to have their side of the story told, even in cases when they themselves may be the victim. It should go without saying that men can lie and women can lie. Lying is not exclusive to one gender.
Believe the truth, that is what we should believe, full stop. If you are someone who is quick to judge others without hearing both sides of the story, then shame on you, as you are part of the problem. Johnny Depp’s victory is so much more than a personal victory and is perhaps a bigger victory for men across the U.S than it is for Depp. In the wake of the woke #MeToo movement, Americans have practically been forced to blindly believe the woman as if women are incapable of lying. Well, they can and while we should take these matters seriously; we should look at the evidence and facts before we just believe someone because they happen to be a woman.
The #MeToo movement taught us to automatically believe women. If an accusation against a man is made we are to accept the woman’s claims as the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. On the other hand, the man is presumed guilty and regardless of what truth might later arise, he has likely already lost his career, family, friends and reputation. However, this isn’t how justice in America is supposed to work, there is a well established process where evidence is acquired and even the accused must have a chance to argue their innocence and recently that was no longer the case, until the Heard/Depp verdict.
Johnny Depp is the first man to successfully fight back against this attack and injustice. After his exwife Amber Heard wrote an op-ed, though not mentioning Depp by name, it was very clear that he was the man whom she was talking about and in it, stated she was a victim of domestic abuse from a marriage. The impact her article had on Depp and his work and financial earnings can’t be understated. They had a real and serious impact as companies like Disney who own the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise severed ties with the actor as a result of Heard’s claims. Now, Depp could have done what many have had to do, accept it, lose his career and become a pariah forever. Instead, however, Johnny fought back, he fought back against allegations that were clearly fishy and the jury clearly agreed with him, as did most of those viewing the trial around the country. He fought tooth and nail to win and to maintain his reputation, his career and the legacy he has built through years of dedication to his craft and hard work.
Despite Heard’s social media post, this victory is not to say that going forward men will not stand up for women who are actual victims of abuse or assault. This victory should simply remind us that in the United States, justice remains blind and fair regardless of gender, race or the woke left agenda. We must maintain that when an allegation is made it should be taken seriously, but that does not equate to blindly believing someone because of their gender and ruining someone’s career, livelihood and reputation because we may not have ALL of the facts! As the saying goes, the truth will win out and we owe it to each other the opportunity for justice.
Armstrong Williams (@ ARightSide) is manager / sole owner of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast Owner of the year. www. armstrongwilliams.co | www. howardstirkholdings.com
How are we moving through all of this loss?
CHRISTINA GREER PH.D.
If you watch the news, you are well aware that it feels like each week seems to bring a new set of horrors and stressors. If it’s not white supremacists targeting Black communities or a school full of young people or doctors at a hospital, we must digest stories of police officers shooting Black and Latino civilians first and asking questions later. And as the summer months approach, we have more
neighborhood killings of young Black people who are sometimes in the wrong place at the wrong time and caught in neighborhood squabbles or all out wars. With all this violence surrounding us, in addition to the perpetual losses due to COVID, my question is, “How are we to process and move through this supreme amount of loss that surrounds us?”Many years ago, I lost my maternal aunt, grandmother, and grandfather in the span of two weeks. The feeling of loss was all encompassing. The feeling of grief was so large it was as if I could not feel any grief at all. I hate to say I am nearing that point. It seems like each day there is a new story about a community who has lost someone due to senseless violence, which has become such a common occurrence, many of those stories barely make the news and if they do, they don’t remain in our collective imagination for more than a few days.
So, what are we to do
with all that we are presently enduring? I wish I had an answer. I do know that I am trying to find and hold on to all the joy and beauty that surrounds me on a daily basis, that helps me stay present and not get too overwhelmed with the constant thought of grieving families and communities. So many people are living through the unimaginable and besides donating to particular causes, I wish I could do more.
A mentor once told me that all of life is a series of losses. We have lost friends over time. We’ve lost objects we’ve loved. We lose so many things on any given day, life is indeed an exercise of triumphing over loss. This is a unique concept I am still struggling to fully embrace. However, if I see life as a vessel of loss, it helps me pay attention to all the things and all of the people around me so I can appreciate them even more. I am still working through this concept and will likely need more time
to fully articulate the ever present and all-encompassing concept of loss.
Until then, I will continue to do my part to support communities struggling to find a sense of normalcy after their tragic and unexpected losses. One day and one action at a time.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University, the author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream,” and the co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.
