Casino Workers Need Help Now

Those of us who have been in Cape May County for decades remember how much excitement the opening of casinos brought to South Jersey. Little did we know that the excitement and jobs they brought back then would come full circle by way of nail biting and unemployment. Well, that day is here. Casino revenue in the last eight years has fallen in half, and, in the next month, three more casinos are slated to close.
Due to the great economic impact on workers, their families and community, we cannot take the closing of three additional casinos just sitting down.
In reaction, Dr. Tom Henry (Cape Issues), Dr. Nancy Hudanich (Cape May County Technical School), Jeff Lindsay (Cape May County director of Human Resources), Dr. Peter Mora (Atlantic Cape Community College), Dr. Rich Perniciaro (Atlantic Cape Community College), Gerald Thornton (Freeholder Director) and myself (Cape Issues) held a meeting in Thornton’s office Aug. 20 to examine options.
Henry, who has had extensive experience nationwide in economic challenges, presented a “Casino Unemployment Plan.” It calls for identifying the Cape May County workers (approximately 136) who will lose their work and assessing their skills and training needs.
An important element of the plan’s approach is to identify federal and state funding and training programs already in place to address impacts of this nature.
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“It is encouraging that these public people are getting together
for the common good to develop a comprehensive plan for serving
the people who are losing their jobs.
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In the hour and 30-minute discussion, Perniciaro pointed out that the impact would go far beyond the direct layoffs, to include employees who work for suppliers, vendors and contractors to the closing casinos. Even those who are fortunate enough to find employment are unlikely to find comparably-paying positions.
Thornton, who has been in discussion with the lieutenant governor and others in Trenton, estimated that the total number of employees to be affected would be 400 to 500. The timetable is extremely short, and the time for action is now. Accordingly, a number of others within the county and the region will be brought together to flesh out available courses of action.
Also discussed at this meeting was the desire, at some future date, to address the larger issue of our county’s declining population and lackluster economic vitality. While much is being done, what more can be done? One line of argument was that working within a five-year timeframe is as far out as one can reasonably look. I see merit in five-year plans; I did express the necessity for a long-range star. Only with long-range stars do new highway systems get built because they are conceived decades out. Further, if we are ever to have a county-wide unifying light-rail system, we had better preserve our railroad beds; such would not likely be worked out within five years.
In touching base with Henry afterward, he told me, “It is encouraging that these public people are getting together for the common good to develop a comprehensive plan for serving the people who are losing their jobs. Other communities are meeting and wondering what is going to happen; here, we have critical people in our county working together to provide good service to the affected populations.”
From the Bible:
(Jesus was asked) “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:36-40 ESV