Berichten uit New York
Het aantal berichten neemt toe dat vele bars en restaurants de deuren gaan sluiten en hun personeel ontslaan na het invoeren van de rookverboden in de stad en de staat New York.
Ook komt er een stroom van e-mails op gang naar één van de grootste gangmakers van de rookverboden: Joe Cherner (smokefree.org). Hij wordt bedolven onder de berichten van New Yorkse horecaeigenaren die hun inkomsten achteruit zien gaan. Maar (miljonair) Joe blijft kil vertellen dat het allemaal wel goed zal komen: … I support smokefree workplace legislation, because I believe that health is more important than money. I’m sure that if you believed (as I do) that tobacco smoke caused cancer and other diseases in your employees and customers, you would also support smokefree workplace laws.
Hieronder wat hartenkreten van horeca-eigenaren:
I own a restaurant about 30 miles from Buffalo. You and our “brilliant” NYS lawmakers have nearly destroyed my business in 2 weeks. My Saturday nights have gone from 60-70 people at the bar, to 10. Yes, 10!!!! The non-smokers aren’t even staying because it’s BORING to be at a bar where there is only a few people. I’ve had to cut-out my bands on Saturday nights, because I can’t pay them with 10 customers in the bar. You turned a GREAT restaurant and bar in a little rural town, into what will soon be an empty building. I am co-president of a little organization of bars and restaurants in Niagara County who are fighting this ban for the sake of our businesses, and there is NOT ONE of the area’s establishments that are financially benefitting from this ban. MY business is MY BUSINESS, and my employees have the choice whether to work in my place, or not. My Saturday night bartender went from averaging $180 in tips, to $25. THAT’S HER GROCERY MONEY!
My bar is in a town of roughly 3,000 people on the PA line, in fact our town doesn’t even have a sewer system so we still have septic tanks and some of the cabins have outhouses. I am the typical redneck rural bar with the worn carpet and torn stools and the outside need’s a paint job really bad. My customer’s are local’s and consist of farmer’s, logger’s, and truck driver’s. If you can get through the smell of cowshit you might smell some smoke. Some customer’s used to do construction for the state but now that the state is in such financial woes they haven’t been called back to work this year and their unemployment is due to run out in weeks. This town also has the elite part who drive the extra miles to work in offices, teach school and so on. These elite won’t even admit they drink let alone set foot in a bar such as mine lest they catch some “blue collar” disease. The town is no thoroughfare to any bigger town and offer’s no attractions to bring in any outsider’s. We serve no food, offer no special service or product (other than a cold Bud) and I am the sole worker (I SMOKE) other than my husband (WHO DOES NOT SMOKE). My 87 year old mother helps me at times and she also (DOES NOT SMOKE). My locals love the bar because they can walk to it and play pool and visit with all their buddies. I only make a living and I’ll never have a Caddy or a swimming pool but I’ve been there 16 years and we have all become friends. We celebrate birthday’s, graduation’s and weddings. We pay taxes, vote, and are proud parents and grandparents. Of my “friends” and there are only about 30 regulars, they gave the smoke-out a try on Friday, July 25th. Of these 30 people, 24 are smoker’s and drinkers, 3 are non- smoker’s and drinker’s and 3 are non-smoker’s and non-drinker’s but come to shoot pool. By 11 PM almost everybody had left to head to one of the smoker’s house for a backyard fire so they could all drink and smoke at the same time. This passed weekend, Aug 1 and 2, they decided to pack it up and head for PA and as I said they loved it for the new territory, tax-free shopping and some even got job offers. By chipping in and splitting the cab fee it only cost them each a couple buck’s.
I closed my bar, on a Sat. night at 9 PM and sat and cried. So now my family has to suffer, lose our income all for people (non- smoker’s) that aren’t there? I’m talking about an area that if anybody make’s over $30,000 a year you’re considered stinking rich. We already lost two small factories, the pharmacy and small movie place. Now the bowling alley (all 8 alley’s) that was a winter thing to do around here for couples also isn’t opening because with three feet of snow in the winter you can’t run out for a cigarette, there goes someone elses living.
I own a tavern in Upstate, NY. At approximately midnight on Friday, August 1, 2003, our bartender not only abandoned her position at the bar, she departed from the property completely. The displays of noncompliance by the public have created an extremely difficult situation for us. The pressure of smoke policing customers while bartending was just too much for her that evening.
Sandra Iadanza, a real life ACTUAL bartender with a NAME, is now unemployment, unable to perform the required duties or make an honest living, which she had done easily for the past year while employed by us.
We were not financially in a position to hire bouncers prior to the ban. Business is down more than 22% since it went into effect, so we are in no better position now.
So I ask you Joe, where are all the non smokers that are dying to frequent our establishments, must be the same 65,000 that you allege died last year, because they are certainly not in here in New York.
We have and will continue to make every reasonable effort to remain in compliance before we are run out of business, because we really are concerned with Health Issues but if cigarettes were truly the “Weapons of Mass Destruction” you claim, why am I not arrested for Assault with a Deadly Weapon every time I light up, instead of fined $1000 when someone else does.
Oh yeah, because it’s all about Health Concerns and New York State is ADDICTED to tobacco revenues and this is just one new way to generate more.
Ook de pers verhaalt over barsluitingen en ontslagen:
Bar Owner Going Out Of Business Blames Ban
Small Business Survival Committee
Last call for Stumble Inn
Whoopi Goldberg steekt haar middelvinger op naar de rookverboden
Burgemeester Bloomberg verraadde zijn supporters
