Casino Workers Express Concerns About Returning to Work, Question Guest Sanitation Habits
Posted on: May 4, 2020, 01:39h.
Last updated on: May 4, 2020, 03:14h.
Las Vegas casino workers are in no rush to return to work, as they remain concerned for their personal safety in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Unite Here, the union that represents workers in the US casino, hotel, and food service industries, says approximately 95 percent of its more than 300,000 members are presently not working. And for the roughly 100,000 Unite Here members employed by casinos, that is even higher at 98 percent.
The vast majority have been laid off and are collecting federal and state unemployment benefits. Wynn Resorts, a company that has a unionized workforce, is one exception, as the casino operator is continuing to pay its idled employees.
All commercial casinos remain closed in the US, and none appear close to reopening. Some tribal casinos, which don’t have to abide by state orders, have resumed operations. For many unionized casino workers, they feel a rush to reopen their workplaces is ill-advised.
If I go back too early, I won’t be able to be alive to work,” Olee Stewart, a 59-year-old cook at Harrah’s Las Vegas, told Reuters.
Nevada casinos, including those on the Las Vegas Strip, have been closed since mid-March.
Casino Cleanliness
When casinos do reopen, they’ll be quite different.
From plexiglass separating dealers from gamblers, mandatory vacant seats between gaming positions, and entrance body temperature checks, the casino of the future will include increased health safety measures.
That’s welcomed news to casino workers like Stewart who remain concerned for their personal safety. However, some say it isn’t enough. Paula Larson-Schusster, a dealer at the Flamingo, claims many gamblers are inherently dirty.
“I’ve had people pick their nose and scratch their private parts and then they pick up the chips,” she said. “I’ve had people shoot NyQuil on the table because they’ve got the flu. But since they’re in Vegas, they’re going to play.”
Best Practices Call
Unite Here will hold a video conference tomorrow with health and sanitation guidelines for gaming companies. The call will be attended by leaders from the Culinary Union, the Las Vegas Unite Here chapter, and local Unite Here affiliates representing Atlantic City and Mississippi.
The recommendations, the union says, will “reflect direction from various public agencies and hospitality employers.”
One issue will be whether to permit gamblers to smoke inside. The World Health Organization says that smokers are more vulnerable to COVID-19 because the act of smoking means that fingers (and possibly contaminated cigarettes) are more in contact with a person’s lips.
Smokers also tend to cough more than nonsmokers, meaning an asymptomatic person could spread the disease at a higher rate.
How is it safe if smokers still smoke and blow their germs out in the casino?” asked one Casino.org reader. Another: “It’s not fun to walk through a cloud of smoke when entering any building. But now it won’t be just an annoyance, but also a serious medical concern.”
The CDC says there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
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Last Comments ( 9 )
I think that Casinos should use this virus as a reason to go smoke-free when they reopen for several reasons. First, secondhand and thirdhand smoke is not safe according to the CDC and causes cancer and other diseases, even in non-smokers. Another is that smoking makes COVID-19 worse, as it is a respiratory virus which causes breathing problems and damages lungs on its own. Plus, with many people wearing masks in public during the early stages of the pandemic, smoking would require taking off the mask, possibly spreading the virus further inside the casino. Next,smoking is a health hazard for patrons and workers. And according to a study from University of Nevada Reno, it showed that the gambling population did not have a higher concentration of smokers and the majority of gamblers in the casinos are actually non-smokers. Plus, with so many hotels going 100% smoke-free as a norm across the nation,it is time to bring the casinos in Nevada in line with this trend. Many casinos across the nation have gone smoke-free and have been very successful including Commerce Casino, MGM National Harbor, Maryland Live, Harrahs New Orleans, Palace Biloxi, and others. As the result, it is time to bring las vegas in line with the modern smoke-free trend and use this pandemic as a opportunity to bring back a cleaner and healthier Las Vegas. Heck, even sin city can get a future reputation for being fun, clean, and a great vacation destination.
Perhaps my post was misunderstood. I am neither filthy or disgusting. I gamble for entertainment and behave responsibly. If I feel uncomfortable where I play for whatever reason, I move on.
Katie Karr has revealed the truth about most gamblers...they are selfish and only care about themselves...even during normal conditions the casino is an unhealthy...negative...stressful environment. Also the casino operators don't really care about their employees well-being either...they are seen as disposable cattle...only there to take money from the players...arrogance and ignorance is nothing new Ms Karr...maybe you should offer your services to Mayor Goodman...
This doesn't make sense. Are they making more money unemployed? What do they want? Make up minds, u either want to work or not!!!
The truth hurts dosen't it. You local player's come to pay your electric bill not to have fun..and if you would bother to look around you'd see what we dealers see, but you are to wrapped up in yourself to see past the cards
The truth hurts dosen't it You local gambler's are the worst.. You come to pay your electric bill..not to have fun..so spare us your sanctimonious statements Katie Karr
SMOKING carries the virus in their DIRTY 2nd hand SMOKE
To the dealer at the Flamingo: I am a local gambler that was upset with your comment. My tips subsidize your income. If you find your job distasteful, find a position in another industry.
They need to remain closed .. they are already pétri dishes with poor ventilation and no ability to social distance yourself .