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NCDA Celebrates 10 Years!!
10 Years!!
"To
have our voices heard and our needs addressed..."
It was never about the
money. Back then, it was not even about work rules or benefits.
The central issue was, and still is, a matter of respect. Respect,
to protect a dealer's job from a vengeful supervisor, to prevent
the subtle appropriation of tokes by people who did not earn them;
to have fair and equal treatment in the workplace; to have our
voices heard and our needs addressed by the legislature in Carson
City. It was the quest to achieve all these things which motivated
a small group of veteran dealers in 1989 to found the Nevada
Casino Dealers Association.
-Nevada
is an "at - will - employment" State
Since its founding,
the NCDA has established a strong base of dealers to support a
lobbying effort to change existing laws and introduce new
legislation to attain justice and equity for Nevada's dealers.
Nevada is an "at - will - employment" State. What that
really means is that an employer can fire a worker without just
cause, or to put it more bluntly, for no reason at all!!. Surely,
every dealer reading this has had knowledge of, or personal
experience with this regressive anti-social policy.
In 1991, with Assembly Bill (AB) 657 and again in 1993 with AB
343, we attempted to eliminate the oppression of
"at-will". We were defeated both times in committee. It
never reached the floor for a vote. In 1993 the resort industry
was supporting Senate Bill (SB) 549 which would have forced tip
earners to apply part of their tips against the minimum wage,
effectively reducing the minimum wage by 50%. The NCDA was the
first organization to catch this bill and work for its defeat. It
was killed in the Commerce and Labor Committee.
Had it passed, it would have cut dealers wages in half. In
1995, the NCDA developed and had introduced a piece of legislation
to provide protection for our tips. Our first attempt in 1993
failed. The 1995 bill, AB284, was crafted to prevent non-tip
earnings workers from sharing dealers tips, e.g. floorman, boxman,
cage, supervisors, etc. The bills passed the Assembly both times,
but a last minute effort by the casino lobby behind closed doors
struck its death knell.
"What
will the NCDA do for me?"
In 1995, (with SB400)
and again in 1997 (with AB248), the NCDA worked hard to insure the
defeat of the so-called "black-ball" bills. If passed,
they would have allowed employers to pass on to others employers
"alleged" and unproven information about employees. In
cases where the information was ultimately proven false and caused
harm, i.e. denial of employment, the employers would have been
immune from civil liability.
So, to the question: "what will the NCDA do for me?", we
respond:
The NCDA will...
• keep
you informed of political
issues affecting dealers.
• serve
as your voice in the legislature by
lobbying for laws benefiting dealers.
•
challenge employers regarding policies
which adversely affect dealers.
• issue a
newsletter to inform dealers
of active issues and actions needed
to further our cause.
• screen
your legal matters and assist
in legal referrals.
•
referral for tax return preparation.
The more members we have, the more clout we have! If you are
not an NCDA member, join now. Fill out the NCDA membership
acceptance form on the Membership page and send the $35.00 yearly
dues. If you are a past member who is presently not currently,
renew your membership now. The NCDA can and will improve its
batting average with your support. Join us.
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