Murphy and his health czar say they want to protect workers. Truth is, they’re making us sick | Opinion

By Pete Naccarelli, Nicole Vitola & Lamont White

Every worker in New Jersey has been protected against poisonous secondhand smoke in the workplace for 18 years - except for us. We're casino workers in Atlantic City.

Governor Murphy recognized the danger of secondhand smoke during Covid - which is still here - and dutifully banned smoking in casinos for a year. Then, in July 2021, he reversed himself – caving in for multi-millionaire casino executives who work in smoke-free offices - and reinstated our exclusion from the Smoke Free Air Act.

We recently went to court against Murphy and his Department of Health commissioner, hoping one or both would fix this injustice and protect our health. Murphy repeatedly says he would sign a bill including casino workers in the law as soon as it landed on his desk. When the lawsuit landed, he could have decided not to defend the casino exclusion. He could have - at long last – saved us from the daily torment of inhaling toxic filth.

Instead, he and the Commissioner Kaitlan Baston have spent the last six months using taxpayer-paid lawyers to defend casino profits over our health.

The hypocrisy is, in a word, breathtaking.

Baston's DOH website notes that "Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Every year, tobacco claims more lives than AIDS, alcohol, drug abuse, car crashes, murders, suicides, and fires combined." She acknowledges medical doctrine – that secondhand smoke causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). And she says she is working for "100% Tobacco Free Worksites."

Both Murphy and Dr. Baston say they are focused on decreasing health disparities. But while white-collar workers all work in smoke-free environments, casino workers are left to breath poison, just to earn a paycheck. Why are we not worthy of protection? Why is this disparity acceptable?

Both Murphy and Dr. Baston state their concern about maternal health. That clearly does not extend to casino workers: Workers exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to have miscarriages, stillbirths, preterm births, and low birth weight. And yet, today they are both fighting for the right of casino bosses to fill our babies tiny lungs, hearts and brains with toxins before they are born - toxins that can alter their lives forever. From maternity care advocate Tammy Murphy, the First Lady, we have heard crickets.

Both Murphy and Dr. Baston claim to have made significant efforts to help people with addictions. But their help does not extend to casino patrons addicted to cigarette smoke – or even gambling. While taking frequent breaks is recommended for problem gamblers, casino bosses admitted that they fear smokers will leave the casino after a break and cut their losses.

Casinos are supposed to help problem gamblers – not encourage them. Does our government's concern for mental health and addiction end at the casino doors, like the Smoke Free Air Act?

The message is clear: Casino workers are not worthy of this government's help and protection. Instead, Murphy's Attorney General is in Court defending the casinos' right to subject us to deadly poison. The poison has given us cancer, asthma, heart disease, COPD, high blood pressure, and strokes.

Think about that: The highest echelons of our state government rejects CDC gospel that "no amount of exposure" to secondhand smoke is safe. That even brief exposure could trigger a heart attack. That ventilating buildings are not effective protections. In fact, 50% of casinos sampled had air pollution levels known to cause cardiovascular disease after only two hours of exposure.

They could end this today. The governor and Health Commissioner could simply stop defending our lawsuit. But Murphy acts as if the courts are not a place to resolve disputes. The Commissioner could also refuse to defend our exclusion from a health and safety law, and speak out on our behalf instead.

We are all Jersey through and through. We are taxpayers. We are active members of our communities. Our kids go to public schools. We want to watch our kids grow up. We want to play with our grandchildren. We just want to have a safe workplace like everyone else.

We are asking Governor Murphy and his health Commissioner again: Please stop defending our exclusion from the Smoke Free Air Act. Our lives literally depend on it.

Pete Naccarelli, Nicole Vitola & Lamont White are among the 3,000 members of C.E.A.S.E, Casino Workers Against Smoking's (Harmful) Effects.