Former Casino Workers in Atlantic City Might Get Their Jobs Back Soon

Atlantic City went through a horrifying three-year period when five popular casinos were shut down and thousands of people lost their jobs. But there is good news for all- these casinos are now coming back.

 

2014 was the year that the casino industry in Atlantic City started experiencing a downfall and laid off 11,000 people working in the economy. But Tuesday brought some hope for the entire laid-off population as the chances of reemployment became visible. The former shuttered casino, Taj Mahal, began a round of interviews inviting job applicants as it is planning a summer reincarnation and well now be opened as the new Hard Rock resort.

 

All ex Taj employees attended the event and approximately 1,600 laid-off workers were called to reapply for their job. About 1,400 turned up for the event. The Hard Rock resort is also planning more such recruitment events soon. These events will be targeted at people who had sent online applications and hadn’t necessarily worked at the former Taj Mahal.

 

Hard Rock president, Matt Harkness, announced that this was the first step in the renaissance plan. The casino is looking to generate over 3,000 jobs. Another closed casino will also join the Taj Mahal to reopen its doors in the coming summer season. The Revel casino had also shut down in 2014 and will be relaunched with the name ‘Ocean Resort Casino’ while adding thousands of more jobs.

 

A Taj Mahal employee, Monica Weekes, has been working with the casino since it first opened its doors in 1990. She recalls that the October 10, 2016 shutting down of the property was a highly depressing event and was almost unbelievable. She said that she remembered praying to God to let the casino remain open. However, the closing of one door also marks the opening of another; in this case, the other door is Hard Rock. Weekes says that she cannot wait to get involved and kick-start operations again.

 

Local 54 president, Bob McDevitt (Unite-HIRE union), was reported saying that it was brilliant to have so many ex Taj Mahal workers getting their jobs back. He added that Hard Rock is a great organization and recognizes that Taj Mahal always boasted of an excellent workforce. The workers at Taj Mahal offered brilliant services for many decades. The president of Hard Rock, Harkness, was in agreement with McDevitt.