Despite some signs of an economic recovery, Atlantic City and New Jersey as a whole, are still experiencing increasing unemployment.  The drop in gross operating profit for these large Atlantic City employers won’t do anything to taper that trend.

The Atlantic City, New Jersey metropolitan area has been a hotbed of layoffs and employment cut backs.

Being laid off from your job will likely lead you to file for unemployment benefits.  If you are in the Atlantic City New Jersey area, you can file for unemployment through

Filing for unemployment benefits in the Atlantic City New Jersey, If your reside in:

• Atlantic City
• Vineland
• Salem
• Bridgeton
• Hammonton
• Pleasantville
• Thorofare
• Camden
• Westampton

You can call the Cumberland Reemployment Call Center at (856) 507-2340

You will need the following available before you call the office:

• your social security number
• pension or 401k information,
• alien registration number if not a citizen,
• separation pay information,
• employment recall date
• union hiring hall information
• military information, an
• SF-8 or SF-50 form if you were a federal civilian employee, and employment history for the past 18 months.

Initial reports are that the investment group will remain conservative in its plans to rebuild the once majestic resort and gambling house.  Former executive William Yung III had inflicted much damage on the image of the hotel after instituting drastic cost cutting measures including the elimination of nearly 1,000 employees.  The cost cutting measures came at the price of severely damaging the Atlantic City casinos brand.

Currently New Jersey state Senator Ray Lesniak and Gov. Jon Corzine have filed a lawsuit that seeks to have the ban, put in place by the federal government on sports betting, declared unconstitutional.

Additions to the types of gaming that are allowed in Atlantic City will aid the ailing city in its quest to differentiate its offering from smaller “slot parlors” that are keeping gamblers in their home states and cities.

Increased gaming options will also certainly increase tax revenue and employment during a time in Atlantic City that is known better for layoffs and salary cuts than help wanted signs.

However, the new project will not only concentrate on gambling as a source of revenue but will look to differentiate itself by selling an experience.

Atlantic City casinos have been hard hit financially by the economic downturn.  But, to add insult to injury, the casinos in Atlantic City are also dealing with a rising number of “slot parlors” in neighboring towns that are cutting into its revenue.

Slots have been a major source of revenue in the past but increasing numbers of potential travelers are staying close by to do their gaming.

The new project that is now underway from Revel Entertainment will take a new market position that offers visitors not just gambling but a whole resort and spa experience that can’t be found in a slot parlor.

Business at Atlantic City’s 11 casinos is falling at a record pace. Aggregate revenue plunged 19.2 per cent in February from a year earlier–the sharpest decline in 30 years.

Many casinos in Atlantic City have laid off or reduced pay for hourly workers but those in the high offices are experiencing the pain too.

Managers at casinos are seeing pay cuts, frozen salaries and mandatory unpaid days off to say nothing of lay-offs that have already occurred.

The top earners employed by the Wynn Casino empire have seen a 15% pay cut. Harrahs cut pay for each manager employed at their 50 plus casinos saving them an estimated $90 million this year.

Casinos in Atlantic City are citing the recession for their employment woes.  Revenues for the 2009 fiscal year are down 15% and have not showed signs of improvement.

Increases will vary from business to business and are wide ranging (from $7.00 to $290.00 per worker) depending on the number of layoffs at the company and the amount of unemployment insurance tax paid in the past.

The amount that a business pays in unemployment insurance is calculated by taking the average amount of UI paid to former workers over the past 3 years and dividing it by the the total payroll.  The second consideration in UI taxes due is the balance of reserves that New Jersey has as of March 31st.

For May of 2009, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Developement reported a loss of 6,600 private sector jobs but a gain of 400 public sector jobs.

While a decline of 6,200 jobs for the month is a significant loss, the numbers show that unemployment in New Jersey could begin trending up.

With the first four months of 2009 registering an average of nearly 15,000 jobs lost per month, this is a hopeful sign that the New Jersey job market may have bottomed out and is in the process of recovering.

The protest was organized by the young UAW/AC Union and its members to protest the slow negotiations they are experiencing with Atlantic City casino management.

Many workers from Atlantic City’s largest casinos including Trump Casino, Bally’s and Caesars Palace are still working without a contract despite the fact that they had voted for union representation from the UAW.

Organized by UAW Union representatives, the protest, which snarled traffic on Pacific Avenue for a time, was meant to call attention to the fact that many workers from Bally’s, Caesars, Tropicana and Trump Casino do not have a contract, despite voting for union representation in 2007.

The management at Harrah’s Casino in Atlantic City released a statement on Tuesday evening “…We have been bargaining in good faith for more than 50 sessions in an effort to negotiate a reasonable contract that allows the company to remain competitive in this challenging economic and competitive environment…”

Since then, the newly formed union has found the Atlantic City casino management to be a tough adversary.

Currently, the New Jersey State AFL-CIO is urging Harah’s Entertainment to agree on terms for a contract with the dealers belonging to the union.

Picketing has been taking place outside of the Ballys Atlantic City druing the AFL-CIO annual convention being held in Atlantic City this year.  Currently, the management at Bally’s is declining any attempts to bargain with the UAW/AC.  However, Bally’s may be forced to negotiate if an appeal with a federal labor board is declined.

At Caesars Atlantic City, the casino management has managed to slow negotiations with the Atlantic City workers.  The talks have been going on for more than one year.  Harrah’s cites their proven track record of dealing with Unions including the Local 54 of UNITE-HERE.