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Is
"UNION" a Dirty Word?
By Jack M.
Lipsman and Tony Badillo
Is
"UNION" a Dirty Word?
Between us, the
writers of this article spent over 62 years behind the tables
pumping cards. Some were good years, some not. It seems to us that
whenever the money falls off or a new management regime descends
on a casino, we heard rumblings about forming a union. But those
frivolous rumblings are not the serious issue we wish to address
here. Our question is, and it is a big question: "Why, after
years of having no say in our work rules, benefits, compensation
or job security are casino dealers still not represented by a
union?
It must be obvious to any fair-minded person that dealers
have absolutely no
control over their own working conditions. And when we use the
term working conditions, we cover a lot of ground. Such things as
having a reasonable policy on smoking at the game; having the
right to decide who is allowed to share in the tokes we earn;
being entitled to paid sick days; having the right to an impartial
hearing in disputes arising from customer complaints; having the
right to a fair resolution of unreasonable or unwarranted
disciplinary action; having a reasonable wage policy instead of a
frozen wage policy... so we may hear in response to our requests
for a raise, something other than: "our wage scales are the
same as all the other casinos". On that last point, isn't it
to be expected that since these casinos are all kissing cousins at
the Nevada Resort Association, and are in continual communication
with each other that their wage policies and wage scales would be
"the same"? Of course it is!
"The
Dealers themselves are the answer"
But the NCDA,
The Teamsters, The UAW, The Service Employees
International, or any other Union are not the answer. Any one of
them, down the road, may be party to an alliance with the dealers,
but they are not the answer. The dealers themselves are the
answer. If they want to move from a feudal system of serfs and
masters; if they want to see their jobs their wages keep pace with
inflation; if they want to receive benefits and treatment as do
most other industries; if they want to have a say in how they are
treated on the job and the feeling of security that comes from
knowing that they cannot be punished or terminated for demanding
their rights; then, and only then, will they come together and
gain the courage to sign a pledge card and vote in a dealer's
union.
We, at the NCDA, have no way of knowing how
many of you share our
sentiments. We do know that we have always had a tough time
getting new members and keeping the old ones on our 'dues paid'
list. We sometimes wonder if our arguments for dealer's rights are
real or imaginary. But then we get the phone call from a dealer
who just got crushed by management, and we know.
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