|
|
|
Dealers at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas July 12 voted against representation by Transport Workers Union Local 721 in an election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board.
Among 427 eligible voters--all full-time and regular part-time table game dealers employed at the Rio Casino--247 dealers cast their votes against TWU representation, 162 voted for the union, two ballots were void, and two challenged ballots were not determinative, Stephen Wamser, deputy regional attorney with National Labor Relations Board Region 28 in Las Vegas, told BNA July 14.
"Unfortunately, we lost this one," said TWU spokesman Jamie Horwitz July 14. According to Horwitz, the NLRB election was influenced by "a heavy hit of union busters" from Rio's parent company Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which used captive-audience meetings and other harassment tactics to sway employees from voting for union representation. Pointing out that the casino hotel "makes its money off unions" that sponsor conventions at the facility, Horwitz said the employer's antiunion actions were "inappropriate" and "outrageous."
He noted that the International Association of Firefighters is scheduled to hold its convention at the Rio in August, and TWU and the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers both are planning events there within the year.
Any challenges to the election must be filed within seven days of the election.
Rio's management July 14 issued a statement stating that the "vote demonstrates an overwhelming endorsement of the dealers' belief and confidence in the Rio and the way dealers and management have always worked together."
TWU Vows to Continue Organizing Campaign
Before the election, TWU said an "overwhelming majority of the bargaining unit" had signed cards indicating their interest in union representation (110 DLR A-16, 6/9/08 ). Horwitz said the loss is a disappointment, but is merely a "bump in the road," because TWU expects to "stay committed to educating dealers at the Rio."
"We have campaigns with dealers up and down the Strip and will continue to organize," Horwitz said.
Two UNITE HERE locals--Culinary Workers Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165--represent hospitality workers at the Rio (117 DLR A-1, 6/19/07 ).
TWU represents dealers at two Las Vegas properties, having won NLRB elections at Wynn Casino in May 2007 (93 DLR A-1, 5/15/07 ) and at Caesars Palace in December (249 DLR A-8, 12/31/07 ). The union and management have not yet negotiated labor contracts at either property, however. Collective bargaining is continuing and is much further along at the Wynn, Horwitz reported.
During the Rio organizing campaign, job security was the principal concern for dealers, Steve Roberts, TWU international representative, told BNA in June when the union filed a petition for the election (110 DLR A-16, 6/9/08 ). Private equity firms Texas Pacific Group (TPG) and Apollo Management LP acquired all of Harrah's properties earlier this year, leading to dealers' sense of insecurity about "who will own them from one month to the next," Roberts said. Dealers also want to change from their current at-will employment status to the security of an employment contract that defines their wages, tips, and health care benefits, he said.
|
|