Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Will racino keep promise to hire locals?

From the Daily News:

Queens activists who want locals to get a piece of the action at the new Aqueduct racino said they are still waiting for the company to ante up.

A top official for Resorts World New York pledged yesterday to give special attention to southern Queens residents applying for the estimated 1,150 permanent jobs.

"We will give out as many jobs to local residents as possible, and I anticipate that most of those jobs will go to local residents," CEO Michael Speller told the Daily News.

But he declined to put a target number on the table for local hires - and that raised the hackles of activists.

Leroy Gadsden, leader of the Jamaica chapter of the NAACP, said he doesn't buy Speller's promise. For Gadsden, seeing is believing.

"Just to make the announcement does not count. That is not action, that is advertisement," he said.

Resorts World announced Tuesday that it has started filling permanent positions at the racino. The company has teamed up with local job placement organizations and will run ads in weekly publications to get the word out, Speller said.

Resorts World has also posted jobs on its website, where candidates can submit résumés.

In addition, the company will make good on its promise to build a job placement center at the construction site in June, Speller said. Officials made the promise at a Community Board 10 meeting in July, contingent on Resorts World being chosen as the developer.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think that a good portion of the jobs should go to those in the neighborhood - the remaining jobs not filled must insure it go to NYC residents.

Anonymous said...

Whether it hire them or not, it will certainly fleece them.

These gambling operations are just a cynical tax on the poor and stupid.

They are just another distraction from what really needs to be done in this country: Stop allowing the wealthy and connected to write these huge tax dodges and stop granting bizarre tax loopholes and exemptions for multinational corporations.

Anonymous said...

What this guy Gadsden wants is to take the jobs out of the neighborhood where the racino actually is to his neighborhood which is not where the racino is.

Anonymous said...

I'd prefer a shopping mall to a casino. It's the lesser of two vices.

Anonymous said...

OF COURSE they're going to give jobs to the locals.

All the minimum wage jobs, low level, no opportunity jobs will go to the locals.

All the high end management jobs will go to the buddys/friends of the developers and those unqualified Nassau/Suffolk county spoiled brat nepotists.

Anonymous said...

starting gambling casinos to give useless jobs to service a population that is broke in the tri-state area is a sin.

and it will fail,just like the O.T.B.did.

gambling your way out of poverty is similar to the governments spending their way out of a near depression from 2008 to the present.

it is insane policy.

Anonymous said...

Anyone who gambles expecting to win is a fool. But, visiting a casino can be a fun outing if one goes just to have fun and not spend the rent money on a fool's errand.

Anonymous said...

"gambling your way out of poverty is similar to the governments spending their way out of a near depression from 2008 to the present."

Gee Gramps, you almost had it nailed...Until that last paragraph. Crippled by your ignorance again.

Anonymous said...

Look folks, gambling is for suckers. but the suckers can come to Queens or remain in Queens where many businesses will benefit of the presence of this establishment.

Currently and for years folks have sent big $$ to fly to Las Vegas and the Caribean to gamble, now they take 2-4 hour bus trips to Atlantic City (what a dump & in NJ to boot) Foxwoods, and M Sun - nice places but far and must pay to get there. Thus the lesser of two evils are to see this new place in Queens get business instead and keep the economy humming. My suggestion is that local community boards, churches and other organizations devote time to bring awareness of gambling ills and provide programs to prevent gambling addiction. Keep the money in NYC not export it elsewhere as we do to shop at stores not permissiable in NY.

Anonymous said...

I strongly opposed this development as the neighborhood it is in is already shady, adding a casino would make it worse. It would deteriorate the simple residential areas further - has anyone ever seen the neighborhoods around Las Vegas and Atlantic City? Deplorable.