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Trump challenges vote in favor of dealers' union

Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc., the casino company controlled by Donald J. Trump, yesterday asked the National Labor Relations Board in Philadelphia to set aside the results of a March 31 election in which 473 dealers at Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino voted overwhelmingly to join the United Auto Workers.

The $2 billion Revel Casino as it looked last month. The garage and hotel tower have been completed, but all interior work came to a halt last year. The casino still needs $1 billion in financing to be completed. (Photo by Suzette Parmley)
The $2 billion Revel Casino as it looked last month. The garage and hotel tower have been completed, but all interior work came to a halt last year. The casino still needs $1 billion in financing to be completed. (Photo by Suzette Parmley)Read more

Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc., the casino company controlled by Donald J. Trump, yesterday asked the National Labor Relations Board in Philadelphia to set aside the results of a March 31 election in which 473 dealers at Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino voted overwhelmingly to join the United Auto Workers.

The 324-149 vote among the Trump Plaza dealers to join the UAW was the second victory in recent weeks for the UAW in Atlantic City. On March 17, dealers at Caesars voted by a wide margin to join the UAW at that casino.

"We filed the action today because of improper conduct in connection with the election that we find extremely troublesome," Trump Entertainment spokesman Tom Hickey said yesterday. "The National Labor Relations Act was established to protect the rights of workers to choose whether or not to be represented by a labor organization, and any election is supposed to be run under laboratory conditions."

An attorney for the UAW called the company's move "a delay tactic."

"We believe the objections have no merit," said William Josem, an attorney for UAW's Region 9, which includes New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. "This is another tactic to delay and thwart the desires of the employees."

In filing its objection, Trump Entertainment cited the UAW's rally with U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D., N.J.) on the eve of the March 31 election as an example of improper conduct. Hickey called the Andrews rally "a sham card-counting publicity stunt."

"The actions of the UAW have fundamentally undermined the basic standards for a free and fair election," he said, "and, therefore, have compromised the integrity of the process."

Trump Entertainment said the union tried to secure partisan advantage by appearing with a government official.

Josem confirmed that the rally with Andrews took place and said there was nothing improper or illegal about the event.

"It was a rally to discuss the Employee Free Choice Act, which is before Congress now and which encourages and authorizes union-card checks," he said. "In support of that, Rep. Andrews and others did a card check and count.

"These are cards people signed, and all Rep. Andrews was saying was that X-hundred number of people signed the cards and said they wanted the UAW to represent them," he said.

Josem said yesterday's filing with the NLRB was an attempt to stifle the UAW's momentum in Atlantic City.

On March 29, dealers at Trump Marina casino filed a petition with the NLRB to hold a vote on whether to join the UAW. The NLRB has yet to set a date for that election.