This
page will be devoted to dirty tricks being used by the casino
industry. All
of the accounts on this page are from actual dealers from well know
properties in Las Vegas.
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Mandatory Meetings for dealers at the Flamingo
Although it is NOT illegal for any company to call mandatory
meetings to discuss union issues, Flamingo President and his
assistants (D F, Human Resources and P B, AGM) broke several federal
labor laws last week during these sessions. These breaches include:
1)
Threatening to take away tips, benefits and declaring this an "ACT
OF WAR."
Mr. M alluded to the fact that he would weigh the possibility of
putting up "no tipping" signs on all table games at the Flamingo.
2) Threatening
employees that we will be punished if we engage in voting in a
union.
"Guys walking around everywhere with clipboards monitoring each &
every mistake."
3) Threatening to lay off
dealers if a union is voted in.
"We will put in more slot machines and make the table spread
thinner."
4) Threatening to curtail
business and/or reduce employee benefits.
"Mr. M said that he would fight the unionization efforts and would
close table games and train floor supervisors to deal in the event
of a strike. He also said that we were all "replaceable" and he
would not hesitate to do so in order to keep the games open.
5) Grant employees wage
increases, special concessions or benefits in order to keep the
union out.
"We were all paid approximately $23.50 for the hour long meetings
(an unprecedented amount, usually only paid our $6-7 hour wage for
every previous mandatory meetings). New "tipping" signs were
installed immediately after the meetings on the Rapid Roulette
tables and there plans to move the smoking section back inside now
after Mr. M forced the Flamingo employees to smoke outside in the
50-30 degree weather."
6) Create conditions intended
to get rid of an employee because of his or her union activity.
Mr. M said conditions would become miserable at the Flamingo and
sited an incident at the Wynn property where a dealer asked the
floorman for a marker and the floorman's response was "get your
union representative to do it for you."
7) Threaten workers or coerce
them in an attempt to influence their vote.
D F put up several flyers on an overhead projector with the "facts"
about TWU while Mr. M sited "facts" about what a shitty union it was
and that we should not make the same mistake that the Wynn and
Caesars Palace dealers made and join TWU. Furthermore, he repeatedly
told us to "sit back and wait" to see what the other dealers got in
their union contracts before deciding to vote. He said that so far
the Wynn dealers have not reversed Mr. Wynn's decision to share tips
with non-gaming employees and it would be a "cold day in hell"
before Steve Wynn ever backed down. Finally, he stated that the
union cards are a "binding legal contract" and we could choose to
fill out a form he would provide to rescind the decision to join the
union.
8) Promise employees a reward
or future benefits if they decide "no union."
Mr. M repeated his boasts of all the things Harrah's is doing to
bring more business into the Flamingo and how these plans would
benefit us all. When asked why dealers are the least paid wage
employees in the casino, Mr. M went into a long winded explanation
of how it is that bartenders, cocktail waitresses, stewards, and
housekeeping all are culinary union workers and there was no way
that TWU could possibly do the same thing for the dealers. He also
stated that the Flamingo experienced "record drops" for New Years
Eve and that there was no way that Harrah's could afford to give the
dealers a wage increase.
9) Said unionization will
force the company to lay off employees.
"Mr. M stated that if more slot machines were installed to increase
revenue, table games would be taken out and some people would be
laid off."
10) Ask employees what they
think about the union or a union representative.
"Several floor supervisors (one ACM) asked dealers if they filled
out a card and told them not to."
11) Start a petition or
circular against the union or encourage or take part in its
circulation if started by employees.
"D F put up several flyers on an overhead projector with the "facts"
about TWU while Mr. M stated what a horrible union it was and how
they could do little or nothing for the Flamingo dealers."
12) Bar employee union
representatives from soliciting employees memberships on or off the
company property during non-working hours.
"A dealer was stopped from handing out copies of the judges decision
on unfair labor practices from the Wynn court decision while off the
clock by a Casino Manager."
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"At the conclusion of these meetings, Mr. M then asked if there were
any questions. When Mr. M was asked why the company could not afford
to pay for our insurance as the Venetian does, he stated that it
wasn't economical and the only reason Mr. Adelson offers this
benefit to his employees was to keep the union out. He also
mentioned that at "casinos like the Venetian, they are looking for a
certain type of person to hire"...what
the hell does that mean?"
At many meetings, any dealer that spoke up was repeatedly
interrupted, and told that what they were saying was ridiculous,
rumor, or untrue. In one such incident, a dealer spoke about the
fact that he had personally been told by several guests that his/her
casino host had told them NOT to tip the dealers.
He was immediately interrupted and when he tried to pursue the
issue, P B, AGM, got in his face and began to yell and act in a
threatening manner. Several times Mr. M used the word "fuck"; very
unprofessional. Basically, Mr. M said he would do everything in his
power to make sure we did not unionize, and if we did he would be
forced to treat us in a similar manner as Steve Wynn does his table
games dealers.
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