Nersey Jersey Casino Cocktail Waitresses Must Remain Svelte

As many casino employees can attest, having a job in a land-based casino can come with many perks that aren’t available at other jobs – such as generous tips from a lucky winner at the tables, or functioning as a “good luck charm” to a high-roller. However, the some of the jobs can also come with unconventional – but necessary – requirements. Recently, a New Jersey court of law just passed a judgment allowing casino-owners to monitor the weight of their cocktail waitresses, because of how important appearance is to the influx of patrons. The Borgata Casino had a strict policy in place of in-shape cocktail waitresses; yet, a group of 21 servers took them to court anyway to decry their policy as “unlawful.” As the judge saw, there was a problem with the after-the-fact lawsuit, given that the server position is called “Borgata Babes,” and it is stressed from the outset that both male and female servers must remain in good physical shape to continue working in that capacity. The judge noted this as one of the primary reasons for upholding the policy; but also made it a point to pass the lawsuit on to a lower court. The reasoning for the latter was that, although the waitresses and waiters (11 of the 21 were women) are compelled to remain in shape, a hostile work environment cannot be created to ensure this. The lower court is tasked with determining whether or not that was the case. Joe Corbo, who serves as both legal counsel and vice president, expressed his pleasure that the panel judges upheld the Borgata Casino’s policy as non-discriminatory against women. After all, given the attire of the Borgata Babes – corsets, high-heels and stockings – appearance is more than half the job. Furthermore, the appearance of the ladies translates to revenue, because the annual calendar that includes them is a top-selling casino product. To date, just two Borgata Babes have been fired in all the years of their operation; both over weight issues. Contrary to popular opinion, the issue isn’t only about gaining weight; if servers either gain or lose 7 percent of their total weight, they are in violation of casino policy regarding their position. Indeed, one of the two waitresses was fired for losing too much weight. As expected, the attorney for the servers lambasted the decision with complaints of “sexual objectification,” which seems a little strange in light of the “Borgata Babes” position.