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Letter
# 66
Subj:
Keep this Anonymous Please
Date: 01/27/2001 10:11:27 AM Pacific Standard
Time
From: #66-LV
To: dealers@nfge.com
I would appreciate this staying anonymous, in fact, if you
could delete any record of my email address or name in sending it,
all the better. This is because of the hit list being
compiled of all participants attempting to unionize here in Las
Vegas and I cannot afford to lose the job I am in currently. If
you think this list doesn't exist, well, you're sadly mistaken.
And it doesn't matter if it's against the law, because you'll
never find it. And yes, it is one more reason we need to
organize. I am one of the dealers who was laid off
from Bellagio after many, many years of service with the
corporation. Had Steve Wynn not sold out to the MGM, we
would not have been laid off. He had the policy that you
could only fire yourself (stealing, under the influence on the
job, hitting a customer or swearing at a customer, and that type
of infraction).
While I disagree completely with how the hiring for
Bellagio took place, and I fully agree that casino workers are not
compensated fairly nor do we any longer have any job security, we
mustn't totally generalize the statements being made in order to
try and prove a case pro-union. By generalizing we diminish
strength. Perhaps the best show of what organizing can do
for you is to take the example of the NAACP organization that
pressured the Mirage Resorts Corporation into training 300 people
for dealing positions, of which 150 were placed with only the
experience gained by that short training (which we experienced
dealers had to give them) into coveted positions at Bellagio,
Mirage, Treasure Island and the Golden Nugget. So much for
seniority. While we certainly understand these
"break-ins" jumping at the opportunity, it should not
have been given at the expense of the rest of us (including the
experienced African American dealers already at the company who
were passed over for these break-ins).
The same type of thing happened at The London Club, but not
through the NAACP or any other union. Break-ins got coveted
jobs because the London Club wants to do what it does at its other
locations (an they are hurting for it). They didn't seem to
realize "when in Rome . . ."
Some things I've read in the 60+ letters on your site are
kind of interesting. I have yet to see one figure mentioned
about dues. What is the amount of dues a dealer will have to
pay to join the union? Is there a joiner's fee like some
unions?
There are immense inequities in the casino industry.
That is a given. Why should a bartender make $13.40/hour
plus tips (Aladdin's wages) and not have to report 100% of them,
but the average dealer makes $5.15/hour (not $6.00/hour as
reported by the news) and has to report 100% of the tips in order
to get them.
I would like to state that The Aladdin is actually two
casinos but the dealers are all under the benefits of The Aladdin
and all pool their tokes. The London Club hired
inexperienced people for blackjack games to teach them their
specific European way because this is how they do it at all of
their locations. They hired predominantly experienced help
for their Pai Gow tiles, Pai Gow poker, European Roulette, and
Baccarat games. The Aladdin pays dealers $5.75/hour, had a
30 day probation with benefits starting the first of the month
after probation. We have a primary care physician &
ob/gyn (if female) and if we go to either we co-pay $15 flat fee.
Then we have a book of specialists who we can go to WITHOUT a
referral and pay 20%. If we go outside this book ANYWHERE in
the country, we pay 50%. When we asked for lockers, we got
them. When we asked for the ability to upgrade disability
insurance, we got it.
When
we asked to go 7-day tokes, we got it. When we asked for a
place to cut tokes and security to survey the process, it was
given us. They gave us jobs the old fashioned Las Vegas way
-- through juice. Almost all Bellagio and Desert Inn dealers
were hired if they requested a job, as was any previous Aladdin
employee. They allow us to work two jobs if we want (most
casinos do not allow dealers to deal other places -- conflict of
interest). We complained about the marketing department
and the guy was "resigned" (of course, it helped that it
only made good business sense) and they're hiring a new marketing
director. There is very little overtime and then it is
usually on a volunteer basis. Your days off are your days
off.
They
do bend over backwards to try and be fair and warn you of upcoming
events (good and bad). They have a peer review board that
you can go to AFTER you've gone up the chain of command all the
way to top and the peer review board's decision stands. You
get to pick what peers on your peer review board (3 peers and 2
management). Top Management can say you're fired, but if the
Peer Review Board reinstates you, Top Management has no say in the
matter. (Of course, that doesn't mean they couldn't make
your life miserable until you quit, but at least it is a start.)
And yes, I'm sure most of it is because they really do NOT
want a union there and I notice there is no vote planned for The
Aladdin.
They do fall short in some ways . . . such as stating there
is no plan for a layoff (on a Sunday night) but the next Thursday
50 were laid off, although Management maintains to this day they
weren't laid off but up to 10 were offered an extra board position
(3 have already been brought back). There are private notes
on every single dealer who was "juiced" in so any
reputation you acquired or problem you may have had even if it was
15 years previous is well noted. While they pay more than
most casinos, $5.75/hour is still rather pathetic considering we
handle the majority of the incoming money. But Rick Fields
(Casino Manager) has already had meetings with the Dealers to
answer any questions and rectify any problems the Dealers throw at
him.
As to interest on toke money, Rick Fields has said it is
acceptable if ANYONE would give him written procedures on how to
do it. To date, NOBODY has been able to furnish that
information. If anyone has procedures, please feel free to
email them to me and I will get them to the proper people.
But as to sick pay -- well the dealers themselves voted
down sick tokes. Dealers may not understand that in
Corporate America most employees get 5 sick days a year (and mine
were never with pay). The Aladdin has a point system and
when you get to 8 points, you're terminated, but then you can go
up the ladder and to the Peer Review Board if you have extenuating
circumstances. Oh, and did I mention that The Aladdin gave
ALL its employees the chance to accrue 14 PTO days prior to 1st
anniversary, which we are required to use this year? We get
19 PTO days next year, 23 PTO days once we hit our 4th anniversary
and 29 PTO days after our 10th anniversary. No, we don't get
1-1/2 times on holidays, but I'd rather have PTO (it's with tokes,
of course).
OK, so the money isn't as good at The Aladdin as at The
Bellagio, but it's much better than The Venetian was when it first
opened. We're experiencing growing pains for sure, and of
course there is ALWAYS room for improvement even if it is the
Union Movement spurring it on. And no matter what Management
tries to do on behalf of us, someone will complain it isn't enough
(currently, it isn't, but not everybody will be pleased no matter
what happens).
It does seem like Management of the majority of casinos
can't see the trees for the forest . . .because simple things can
make the job so much easier. There is never a time when abusing
the dealers is acceptable. Having over 12 years in this town
dealing -- I've seen it all from kicking the garbage can to
kicking the dealer who was dumping (hey, I'm probably one of the
only dealers who ever got "the hook" off a $1.00--yes,
that's one dollar-- single deck game because I was dumping the
rack and cutting into a shift boss' bonus. But we also know
that dealers are their own worst enemies at times, taking
advantage of every chance to "beat the system" even at
the expense of their fellow dealers.
Perhaps a union would cut down on that, too. Still,
what's the dues or other expenses?
Please, keep this anonymous. Thanks.
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