KARCHER - 'CASINOS SHOULD DROP UNION-STALLING TACTICS'

FREEHOLD - Senator Ellen Karcher, D-Marlboro, the Vice Chair of the Senate Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee, issued the following statement regarding reports that Harrah's Entertainment, which also owns Caesars Atlantic City casino, has alleged union intimidation in an effort to delay collective representation for the casino's dealers:

"Unless Harrah's can point to concrete evidence of intimidation in the vote for union representation at Caesars casino, they should withdraw any appeal that delays fair representation for casino employees.

"Union representation has a long history of providing greater negotiating power to the work force, and giving employees greater leverage at the bargaining table. Many of the employee safety and fair wage laws we take for granted today were borne on the backs of organized labor.

"We've seen employers use allegations of intimidation before, as a typical tool to stall the unionization of employees and break the union's momentum towards better conditions and fairer wages. In this case, despite a vote of more than 4 to 1 in favor of union representation, Harrah's appeal could take years to unravel, and further delay employee organization.

"Harrah's must act in good faith, and not use questionable legal tactics to avoid honoring the wishes of their employees. I will work on the Wagering Committee to ensure that, should it come to light that Harrah's is not acting as a good faith participant in employee negotiations, that the Casino Control Commission use any tools at its disposal to make employees whole."