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Borgata: Lose weight -- or your job
Atlantic City hotel and casino says it will fire cocktail waitresses if they gain too much weight.
February 21, 2005: 9:46 AM EST
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Atlantic City hotel and casino has a new policy: Fat waitresses are sent packing. CNN's Jack Cafferty reports.
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NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - An Atlantic City casino said its cocktail waitresses could lose their jobs if they gain too much weight.

The Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa warned its female servers, also known as "Borgata Babes," that they could be suspended from their job if they fail to maintain their sexy figures.

The company told CNN/Money Friday that the new policy applies to male and female waiter and waitresses who gain more than 7 percent of their body weight.

If the weight gain is caused by pregnancy or a medical condition, the server would be exempt, the company said.

"We find this policy to be legal and fair, because the job is defined as a 'performing art' profession at Borgata," Borgata spokesman Michael Facenda told CNN/Money. "Our guests have to come to expect a certain level of service and appearance, and it's our intention to maintain (that image)."

The policy infuriated women's rights advocates, the cocktail servers' union and others, who called the move discriminatory.

The cocktail waitress union is also filing a complaint against the new policy. But so far no legal actions have been taken.

Borgata is a joint venture of MGM Mirage (Research) and Boyd Gaming Corp. (Research)  Top of page

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