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International
Union of Gaming Employees
(A non-profit
organization since 1989)
P.O. Box 71961
Las Vegas, Nevada 89170
(702) 560-0626 ~ Fax: (702) 386-4821
March 11, 2010
Mr. Gregory C. Fajt, Chairman
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
P.O. Box 69060
Harrisburg, PA 17106-9060
Dear Mr. Fajt:
Regarding your
consideration of Steve Wynn’s proposed plans to
take over the casino in Philadelphia we feel
compelled to relate to you some of Mr. Wynn’s
actions regarding his Las Vegas casino
operations. In the casino at the Wynn-Las Vegas
Mr. Wynn has, since September 2006, assumed
ownership of the tips earned by the casino
dealers and subsequently has confiscated 15% of
these tips in order to subsidize the salaries of
his supervisory employees-specifically, the
floormen and women working in the pit.
It should be
noted that all other casinos in Las Vegas accept
dealer ownership and control of their own tips.
The Wynn confiscation started on September 1,
2006 and continues to this day. As we stated,
Mr. Wynn uses this money to compensate his
gaming supervisors. He does this because (as he
himself has stated many times) there existed a
discrepancy between what the dealers earn and
what he is willing to pay his own supervisors.
Therefore, he reasoned, he will take the
dealer's money and use it to pay the salaries of
the pit floormen and women, who he now refers to
as "team leaders".
Of course, we
vehemently and absolutely opposed this theft of
dealer’s earnings and furthermore, wish to note
that no other casino in LV lays a finger on
dealer's tips, except Steve Wynn. None! This
dispute has been brought before the legislature,
the courts, the Gaming Control Board and the
Labor Commission, and is still to be
resolved. We even organized a
referendum petition drive to allow a public vote
on the issue. Every avenue we attempted was
blocked by teams of Wynn’s lawyers and by
backroom influence in the legislature and in the
Labor Commission. He went so far as to team up
with the Culinary Union #226 to join him in a
legal action to prevent us from carrying out the
petition drive. Coincidently, the #226 also sent
blocking thugs to rallies where we were
gathering signatures for the referendum. Does
this sound like an individual Pennsylvania wants
to do business with? We think not.
Mr. Wynn’s
actions and policies affect not only us in
Nevada, but potentially any gaming jurisdiction
he is allowed to operate in, including
Pennsylvania. We ask you, Mr. Fajt, to examine
the logic in the following arguments:
1.
The integrity of the table
games are compromised because the supervisor
charged with overseeing the games would be
receiving tips and would therefore be unable to
render unbiased decisions in player-house
disputes.
2.
The integrity of the counting
process is lost because the policy controlling
the counting and possession of tip money
specifically excludes dealers from any
involvement whatsoever. In the past at Wynn-Las
Vegas, and in every other casino in Las Vegas,
dealers control, count and maintain accounting
of all tip money. At Wynn-Las Vegas this is done
solely by Wynn executives and all dealers are
excluded from the process.
3.
Game overseers who receive
tips from the game constitute an oxymoron in
gaming circles everywhere, except at Wynn-Las
Vegas. Overseers are naturally conflicted
between following house rules and earning more
money.
4.
The Nevada GCB is presently
conducting an investigation (known as an
internal audit) to decide whether Mr. Wynn is
violating GCB minimum standards for table games.
The audit is ongoing and the results are pending
(see attached Nevada GCB letter). GCB rules
state that game oversight must be performed by
supervisors, yet to implement his present tip
policy Mr. Wynn must use individuals overseeing
the games who are not supervisors. He renamed
these people as “team leaders”---not
supervisors, so they may be allowed to receive
tips. Mr. Wynn hopes to circumvent the rules by
using a semantic device.
5.
“Supervisors” or “Not
Supervisors,” that is the question.
a. In a National
Labor Relations Board trial, Mr. Wynn’s
representatives testified under oath that Casino
Service Team Leads (formerly known as floor
persons) have no authority whatsoever over
anyone and that they are not supervisors.
b. In
an unemployment hearing concerning a gaming
dealer
who was
fired, representatives of Wynn-Las Vegas
testified that
Casino
Service Team Leads are supervisors
and that the dealer in
question was
insubordinate to a supervisor.
c. Either they are supervisors or they are not.
They cannot be both. Mr. Wynn cannot change
their job description as a function of which
legal proceeding he is attending. The rule of
law applies to all and Mr. Wynn cannot change it
to suit his purpose.
We estimate that
since this tip policy started in 2006
approximately $35,000,000 has been seized from
dealer's income. It is our hope and
expectation that you will ask Mr. Wynn some very
searching questions about his absurd and
dangerous policies. Furthermore, you might wish
to query his views on respecting a citizen’s
right to keeping their own income, safe from
confiscation, as well as their right to petition
the government for a redress of grievances
without being subjected to strong-arm tactics.
No one, regardless of their wealth and power,
should be allowed to crush these rights.
All supporting
documents and data will be made available to you
upon request.
Sincerely,
Al Maurice – President
Jack Lipsman – Director
Tony Badillo – Advisor and Consultant
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