The Republican Presidential candidate’s formerly owned “eighth wonder of the world” is set to close next month.
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he owners of the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in New Jersey have announced it is due to close its doors to the public after it had been stricken by workers’ strikes and years of financial instability.
The company, which employed over 2,100 people by the end of 2015, will send mass redundancy notices by the end of the week before its closure which is set to coincide with US ‘Labor Day’ (5 September).
In making the announcement, CEO of Tropicana Entertainment, Tony Rodio, claimed the casino’s owners had “fiduciary duties to their shareholders,” and that the strikes had “forced the closing.”
The Trump Taj Mahal was hit by a slew of striking workers as almost 1,000 casino workers walked out on 1 July demanding an increase in pay, better working conditions and the restoration of health and pension benefits which were previously taken away in a bankruptcy settlement in 2014.
The average pay at the casino is less than $11.74 (E10.53) per hour and the majority of workers have seen no more than 80c (E0.72) in raises since 2004.
The Atlantic City casino, dubbed the “eighth wonder of the world” upon its opening in 1990, was founded and owned by the current Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump and has since been taken over by American business magnate Carl Icahn.
The casino’s demise had been seen by many in advance as an inevitability. With worker strikes being a consistent issue alongside the upcoming North Jersey gaming referendum. Atlantic City casinos would be threatened if the referendum is approved as it is currently the only area to allow Vegas-style casino gaming in the state.
Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton seized upon the Trump Taj Mahal strikes, using pictures of the unhappy workers in an attempt to criticise Republican candidate Trump.
In her speech Clinton attacked Trump for his poor business record saying: “If he wants to make America great again, maybe he should start by actually making things in America again.”
