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VOLUME 2 ISSUE
9
WEEK OF AUG. 3-9, 2001
Group
pushes to unionize table game Dealers
by
Malcolm Hall / IBLV Staff
A fledgling labor union has formed in Las Vegas in the latest
attempt to organize casino dealers. What used to be The
National Federation of Gaming Employees -- an advisory and
advocacy group -- said effective Aug. 1 it would become The
International Union of Gaming Employees.
Vice President Jack Lipsman said the IUGE plans to charter
local affiliates in Las Vegas and other gaming markets across the
country. And Lipsman said the union has a strategy to avoid
the pitfalls suffered by previous attempts to organize dealers.
"When the Transport Workers Union went after those 13 casinos
last year, they went mostly after the large ones," he
said. "Our strategy is that it doesn't matter what
size, large or small. We'll probably go after some small
ones."
Lipsman said there are a potential 30,000 to 40,000 employees in
Southern Nevada that could be targeted, not to mention inquiries
he's received from nearly every other riverboat and casino
jurisdiction in the country.
If we think we're getting the short end of the stick, these people
in these places are really getting hammered," he said.
"Places like the Isle of Capri in Vicksburg, Miss., treat
these people like slaves. It's unbelievable. Anyone
who opens their mouth finds themselves without a job. They
need some outside help."
Of the major casino properties targeted last year by the TWU,
dealers at the Tropicana, New Frontier and Stratosphere voted in
favor of representation. But the TWU was defeated at
such properties as New York - New York, Bally's, Riviera, MGM
Grand and Monte Carlo.
Shannon Bybee, executive director of UNLV's International Gaming
Institute, said much of the new union's success would depend on
the relationships casino-employees have with their
employers. "Some smaller places don't have the broad
programs in terms of employee benefits, so there may be some
success there potentially," he said. "Except that
it's more expensive for the union to service -- you get a few
employees but you still have to provide the services."
Bybee said another aspect that may prove difficult to counter in
smaller casinos, is a more personal relationship that often exists
between owners and top managers and their employees. Other
gaming jurisdictions pose their own challenges to labor
organizations, Bybee said. "Riverboats are
scattered," he said. "Usually you have one or two
in a location and they're not clustered, so it becomes much more
difficult for a group to service."
Initially, Lipsman said the IUGE would look at the various
properties to see what kind of sentiment exists for representation
before deciding which casinos to target.
"Ultimately," he said, "it's not about the union
going for employees, it's about the union helping people help
themselves. If they feel they're not being treated properly,
they have to stand together and get the vote."
While the union hopes to represent primarily dealers, Lipsman said
he's also received inquiries from floor people. He also said
workers such as slot or keno personnel would be allowed to
join. "They're up for grabs, too, and have been treated
poorly over the years as well," he said. "So
there's a possibility we'll set up a class within the union to let
them take a vote. But whether they would have their own
local or be part of this is another issue."
Lipsman said the IUGE is affiliated with an Argentine
Organization -- The International Federation of Employees and
Professionals of Gaming, Entertainment, Recreation, Leisure and
Allied Activities -- or IFGE, which is moving its worldwide
headquarters to Miami. "This is a major Labor
Organization in Argentina," he said. "They had a
conference in Buenos Aires in May with participants from all over
South America and Europe. They will help us financially and
with other support."
He said as an advisory organization, dues are paid voluntarily,
but some members didn't pay. As a union, dues will be paid
through an employee's paycheck. "But that's just a
minor issue," he said. "The main issue is do the
employers have to deal with you. If you're not a union and
they don't have an election, by law they don't have to talk to
you."
Once employees have signed a pledge card, Lipsman said it takes
six weeks or more to hold an election, during which time
management often "hires people to intimidate them" to
vote against the union. "And they use what I call
unsavory tactics," he said. "I look at it as doing
something underhanded, like saying they will lose
their 401(k) or benefits or jobs. They can't do that by
law."
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