Labor Woes: Casinos delay- No New jobs Until 2016
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
The first Massachusetts casino now won’t likely open until 2016, well more than four years after state lawmakers passed a landmark casino bill, said Steve Crosby, chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.
“I would guess it would be four years before a casino would open,” Crosby said.
The delay has sparked the ire of one of the leading members of Worcester’s State House delegation, which voted unanimously for legislation that gives a green light to three casinos and a slot parlor.
State Rep. John Binienda, (D-Worcester) chairman of the House Rules Committee, said he voted for the bill in hopes it would create jobs for his constituents.
He noted some people have been out of work since 2007 and 2008.
“I was hoping they would be starting them this building season,” said State Rep. John Binienda, (D-Worcester) chairman of the House Rules Committee. “Four years from now, people out of work and out of benefits will be completely out of money and living on welfare.”
Crosby has estimated it could take anywhere from 18 months to nearly two years for the new Massachusetts Gaming Commission to put together bid packages and then sort through proposals and pick the winners.
That would mean casino construction jobs won’t kick into gear until 2014, with thousands of service jobs, from waiters to blackjack dealers, not arriving until 2016.
Worcester could see a jobs boost from two potential projects, a proposal by Mohegan Sun in Palmer, and a Steve Wynn’s pitch to build a massive $1 billion plus casino in Foxborough.
Crosby has been virtually alone since he was appointed last December, with appointments of his four fellow board members held up amid lengthy deliberations by Gov. Deval Patrick, State Treasurer Steve Grossman and Attorney General Martha Coakley. GoLocal reported on Tuesday the five member board is now complete.
Yet even as he faces pressure to ramp up the approval process, Crosby has said he will not be rushed, arguing haste has been a factor in major casino corruption scandals involving regulators in other states.
“Being concerned about being rushed is different from not being prompt and efficient,” he said. “Everyone is concerned about moving the process along as quickly as possible, but not at the expense of rigor.”
Binienda is not impressed.
After voting for casino gambling last fall, Binienda said he thought the new gaming commission would be looking at various casino proposals right now, not getting ready for its first meeting.
“Crosby has been sitting by himself for months and months now,” Binienda said. “Until they get started, nothing happens.”
Meanwhile, at least one major union chief, James Porter, manager of Local 243 of the Laborers International Union in Auburn, said he’s looking to the private sector, not the state’s casino bill, when it comes to finding jobs for his members.
“There is nothing really concrete there,” Porter said.
However, Binienda noted local construction unions, such as the pipefitters and plumbers and laborers, are struggling to find enough work for their members.
“That’s the reason I did what I did,” Binienda said of his vote for the casino bill. “I was tired of going to my answering machine and having 12 to 15 calls from people I know, people I grew up with, basically crying for work, crying for a job.”
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