Former Atlantic City Casino Workers to Receive $29m in Federal Assistance
10 years ago
17 Jan
2014 was certainly a tough year for Atlantic City casino workers. However, things are looking up at least a little for some of them, as they will receive $29 million in federal assistance.
Nearly 4,000 jobs in the gaming industry were lost when four casinos closed in Atlantic City which led to closure of numerous businesses because of the secondary impact on local economy.
It was a sad year for casino workers but the good news is that all workers affected by the casino closures will get a help from the federal government. The Atlantic Club, The Revel Casino Hotel, The Trump Plaza and the Showboat closed their doors in 2014. All these venues could be reopen in the future but at this point, Showboat is expected to become student housing for Richard Stockton College and Revel’s new owner Glenn Straub has some plans to build a water park on the part of the property.
The U.S Department of Labor has authorized a National Emergency Grant of $29.4 million which will be used to assist with job training for former casino workers who unfortunately lost their jobs. The grant will be distributed to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development to help affected workers learn new skills for reemployment.
The State got the grant for Hurricane Sandy recovery in 2013 and in 2010 to help the laid-off the pharmaceutical industry workers. U.S Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez said in a press release, provided by U.S. Sen. Cory Booker’s (D-N.J.) office, that the Atlantic City Economy was dealt a staggering blow with closure of four casinos and that they are committed to provide the resources and give support to thousands of workers who lost their jobs and help them to get back on their feet.
This is another important step towards Atlantic City's comeback. This National Emergency Grant is focused on the workers and will be utilized to increase occupational skills and to get those impacted by the casino closing back to work. This has been a unified effort, working with my colleagues in Congress to secure and expedite the assistance to the thousands of New Jersey families in need and to get Atlantic City on strong footing again. Senator Cory Bookerwww.nj.com;Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian stated that these funds will certainly help Atlantic City to heal in 2015 and he expressed his gratitude to two senators who understand the importance of the job positions that have been lost. The U.S. Senator Robert Mendenz said that the National Emergency Grant is an important step towards putting hard working people back to work and moving Atlantic City forward.
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