Taj Mahal to close for good

It was the most iconic casino resort in the US and was opened in 1990 by the then owner Donald Trump calling it “the eighth wonder of the world” but now it will close down for good.

The Trump Taj Mahal which is under the control and ownership of billionaire Carl Icahn following the bankruptcy in 2009 of Trump Entertainment but with the current longest running union strike at the resort for some 38 years it will close for good after the US Labor Day holiday.

In the closure announcement on Wednesday, the managing company blamed workers for blocking the casino’s “path to profitability.”

According to CEO Tony Rodio of Tropicana Entertainment the owning company of the Taj Icahn spent over $100 million trying to save the resort.

“Our directors cannot just allow the Taj to continue burning through tens of millions of dollars when the union has singlehandedly blocked any path to profitability. Unfortunately we’ve reached the point where we will have to close the Taj,” he said. Tropicana Entertainment is 65% owned by Icahn Enterprises.

The closure, will make about 3,000 lose their jobs along with the 8,000 job losses already from four Atlantic City casinos closing two years ago.

The workers went on strike, calling on Icahn to restore health insurance and pension benefits that previous owners got a bankruptcy court judge to approve in 2014. The managing company agreed to restore the perks, but the offer was much worse than other casino workers in Atlantic City receive, and was rejected by the union.

“The great deal-maker would rather burn the Trump Taj Mahal down just so he can control the ashes. For a few million bucks he could have had labor peace and a content workforce, but instead he’d rather slam the door shut on these long-term workers just to punish them and attempt to break their strike,” union president Bob McDevitt said, speaking about Carl Icahn.

“What is my obligation? I give hundreds of millions to charity, but this is a business; it’s not a charity. They look at this as my responsibility, and I’m a bad guy if I don’t give them what they want,” the billionaire replied in a statement to AP.