ANR UPDATE, 29(1), Spring 2010

A Casino Worker's Courageous Struggle

My name is Terrie Price. I am a native of Las Vegas, Nevada, one of the greatest cities in the country. I graduated from high school and like so many other people here, I went to work in one of the local casinos. I started dealing blackjack at Caesars Palace in 1979. At the time, I was the youngest blackjack dealer at Caesars. I was there when they made Rainman with Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman; I have a picture of the three of us to prove it! In the early 80s, the dangers of secondhand smoke were not well known and the casinos routinely gave out free cigarettes to people playing in the casino.

Caesars Palace changed ownership and management several times over the years. With those changes came changes in the property's smoking and non-smoking policies. We were able to persuade management to install non-smoking signs at several blackjack tables. I was able to work at a non-smoking table from 1990-2002, which still meant I was exposed to smoke but I felt it was better than the alternative. Abruptly in 2002 a decision was made by management to remove the non-smoking signs.

I have always been a very health conscious person. I'm an avid skier, eat healthy and exercise regularly, so my unhealthy work environment was distressing. I repeatedly voiced complaints to management, to no avail. I was eventually fired in 2005, after 26 years at Caesars. With that termination, came a determination to right that wrong. I have filed a lawsuit against the Harrah's Corporation, the parent company of Caesars Palace.

The dangers of secondhand smoke are now well documented and well known. To date, the casino industry in this town has shown blatant disregard for the health of their workers. I am fighting to right that wrong.

In 2002, I requested that a survey from OSHA be performed to determine the level of unhealthful air at Caesars. From that moment, I was subjected to harassment, intimidation, and retaliation from management. OSHA dismissed both the claims of unhealthful air and harassment. I then approached NIOSH, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. NIOSH completed a study of the air in three local casinos and determined that the air was unhealthy and smoking should be prohibited in casinos.

I was fired before the NIOSH test results were made public. I continue my struggle and fight to make it illegal for any employees, no matter what their occupation, to suffer the detrimental health consequences of breathing secondhand smoke at work. Both casino workers and guests have the absolute right to breathe clean air.

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