|
Saturday, February 24,
2001
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Frontier
dealers endorse union
Third group votes for
representation
By SHARON GERRIE
REVIEW-JOURNAL
Casino dealers at Phil Ruffin's New Frontier gave the
Transport Workers Union of America one more win at its election
Friday night. Dealers at three of nine casino properties have
voted for union representation.
Dealers at the New Frontier voted 48 in favor of the union
and 42 against union representation, with four challenged votes.
Of the 99 eligible voters at the property, 94 participated in the
election.
Mike Nelson, human resources director for the New Frontier,
said in a prepared statement, "Given the small margin by
which the union won, it is clear this vote is not a mandate."
Frank Trotti, an organizer with the Transport Workers
Union, said, he was very happy about the win, but the dealers
really did themselves a good turn by voting in the union.
"If you want a voice on the job, then you vote it (the
union) in, it's as simple as that," Trotti said.
Trotti has maintained throughout all the dealer votes in
Las Vegas that the dealers shortchange themselves by not voting
for union representation.
"In some casinos," Trotti said, "the dealers
are the only bargaining unit not represented by a union. These
dealers deserve and need representation just as much as their
co-workers."
The election was supervised by the National Labor Relations
Board, with Nate Albright, field attorney, overseeing the
proceedings.
The New Frontier election was the ninth casino dealer
election in Las Vegas since January. Six casino properties have
voted against the union and three properties have voted in favor
of union representation.
Jeff Osborne, a Transport Workers Union representative,
said, "It was a good win. The third time is the charm and we
have momentum going into the next two elections. It was a close
election, but it followed the democratic process."
Nelson noted that even if the challenged votes all went in
the direction of the New Frontier, the union still would have won.
Previously, elections have been held at the MGM Grand and
New York-New York, both owned by MGM Mirage; Mandalay Bay's Monte
Carlo; Park Place Entertainment's Bally's and Las Vegas Hilton;
the Riviera Holding Corp.'s Riviera; Aztar Corp.'s Tropicana; and
Carl Icahn's Stratosphere. The election at Mandalay Bay's Luxor
was withdrawn before coming to a vote.
Of the properties that have held elections, only dealers at
the Tropicana, the Stratosphere and now the New Frontier have
voted to let the union represent them.
Elections are pending for dealers at Mandalay Bay's
Excalibur on March 3 and MGM Mirage's Treasure Island on March 10.
* * *
This story is
located at:
http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Feb-24-Sat-2001/business/15515598.html
(Back
to Index)
|
