UPDATE: Hard Rock Cafe to stay open in shuttered Trump Taj Mahal

ATLANTIC CITY — The once majestic Trump Taj Mahal hotel and casino officially shuttered its doors at 5:59 a.m. Monday, albeit with a bit of difficulty.

The boards to secure the doors from the inside were not sized properly and had to be refitted.

"It's a very sad day," Pete Battaglini, of Egg Harbor Township, a bellman who started the day the casino opened. "I never thought I would see this."

The closure was announced in August, a month after workers with the UNITE Here Local 54 union walked off the job due to a contract dispute over health benefits, pensions and unpaid vacation time. 

The rise and fall of the Trump Taj Mahal

"They stripped us of our health care, our severance, and deducted our half-hour break from our check," Charles "Chuck" Baker, who worked at Taj Mahal for 26 years as a relief cook, said on July 1, the first day of the strike.

Roughly 3,000 workers lost their jobs due to the closing. It is the 102nd day the union has been walking the picket line.

"The company only came to the table and offered something when the workers threatened to strike," said Ben Begleiter with UNITE HERE Local 54. "They didn't even respond to the last offer a month ago."

As the casino entered its final hours Sunday, few guests remained on the casino floor.

An hour before the Taj Mahal was scheduled to close Monday morning, fewer than 10 gamblers could be seen on the floor. They had their pick of slot machines, except for those which had already been turned off.

The music blared through the loudspeakers, helping to mask the silenced slot machines.

"It was a great property, had a lot of potential," said Sonja Tomljamovic, who remained on the picket line until the casino was closed.

Tomljamovic, of Absecon, has been a cocktail waitress for the Taj Mahal for the past 18 years.

"I feel sad because all of these people are my family," Tomljamovic said. "To have the feeling you're not going to see these people again is really sad."

Tomljamovic said she would return if the casino reopened.

Battaglini added, "We have to start over. It's going to be tougher for some than others, but we will succeed."

The Taj Majal is the fifth Atlantic City casino to close in recent years.

The Atlantic Club closed in January 2014, followed by Showboat in August, and Revel and Trump Plaza in September.

Showboat has since reopened its hotel and some restaurants, but gaming is not available as of now. There are plans to reopen Revel, now known as TEN, but a date has not been announced.

Lori M. Nichols may be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Follow her on Twitter @photoglori. Find NJ.com on Facebook.