Corzine gets AFL-CIO support for bill barring Atlantic City casino shutdown

Atlantic City – Gov. Jon S. Corzine made two stops in the resort today, first addressing conventions of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO and then the New Jersey Association of Counties.

The governor at the AFL-CIO union convention at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa received support of his endorsement of a bill that would keep gaming halls and horse tracks open in the event of a shutdown caused by state budget problems.

On Monday, a state Senate committee approved the bill, which must go before the full Senate and Assembly for a vote.

Corzine’s visit comes on the heels of a Quinnipiac University poll that found 52 percent of New Jersey voters disapprove of his performance.

Meanwhile, two of the state’s largest unions, the New Jersey Education Association and the Communications Workers of America, are taking aim at the governor through radio advertisements today.

They are calling for legislators not to support bills that would cut pension and health benefits for new government workers.