ELIZABETH, Indiana — "Don't gamble with workers" was what one of the signs read at a caravan of Caesar's Southern Indiana workers Wednesday afternoon.
Casino workers took to the streets about a month and a half after hundreds of workers signed a petition asking their employer to better enforce its mask policy.
Now, they're calling out new frustrations in a demonstration in downtown New Albany.
"There's things that they're doing to protect and then there's other things that fall short," Anjila Gaudet, a Caesar's slot worker.
The workers said the company has taken action to try and enforce the mask mandate, but that customers aren't following it.
"Some guests kind of take advantage of our allowing you to smoke and have your mask off of your face," bartender David Butsch said. "We feel that a smoking ban while COVID-19 is so rampant in our area would take a good step toward protecting our worker safety, especially in the slot, facilities and housekeeping departments"
With signs and painted cars, the Caesar's employees, from slot workers to bartenders, are making demands for change. They want a ban on indoor smoking, better health insurance, and increased transparency about COVID-19 in the workplace.
"I also feel like the company could do a lot better with the transparency of how many workers are actually affected by this. How many are out actually with the virus, how many are out at a particular time to get tested. We're just not seeing that. It's a closed door information loop and we're not privy to it," Butsch said.
"The insurance that we have is making is so that we can't afford to go get medical visits when we need them, we can't afford the medical care that we need, we can't afford to call in sick, and in the middle of a pandemic, that means it impacts the community," Gaudet said.
Since July 1, when the workers gave Caesar's their petition, the caravan employees said 16 casino staff members have tested positive for COVID-19.
"It's scary to come in there sometimes," Butsch said.
"I'm not confident enough in the safety of the casino to say that we should all go back to work," Elizabeth Colgan, a casino cocktail server, said.
In a statement Wednesday, Caesar's said: "Our mandatory mask policy for employees and guests is just one example, as well as initiatives related to social distancing, optimizing air flow, mandatory temperature checks, increased cleaning and sanitation, increased non-smoking areas, and many others. Many of these are also a result of directives from the state which are based on advice from health authorities. We continue to learn and adapt in these challenging circumstances. We will evaluate other ways to increase health and safety as medical science data guides us, such as the data demonstrating the effectiveness of wearing masks that drove our mandatory, universal policy.”
The workers said they'll meet with the company again Thursday to discuss their union contract, which they say still isn't finalized.
"It's time for the company to finally settle all our of issues that we have right now," Butsch said.
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