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| Wednesday, August 16, 2000
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal Union plans protest for Aladdin Culinary Local 226 will show its intent to unionize the resort with a Thursday march, organizers say. By Trevor Hayes
Review-Journal A union rally may dampen the hoopla surrounding the latest opening of a Las Vegas Strip megaresort.
Culinary Local 226 will stage a protest Thursday at 5 p.m. in front of the Aladdin "to let everyone know we are going after that property," said Kevin Kline, director of organizing.
Kline said allowing resorts on the Strip to operate without union representation threatens the standard of living in Southern Nevada.
"We have 50,000 members in this town and we are not going to let any company try to reverse the standard of living we have built in this town," Kline said.
Aladdin Gaming LLP Chairman Richard Goeglein said his company is focused on creating "a truly unique and positive environment" for its employees and is neither for or against the union.
"I don't think about them," Goeglein said. "They truly are not relevant to what we are doing."
Thursday evening may be the beginning of a drawn out struggle similar to that at The Venetian, which has operated without a union contract since its May 1999 opening.
"We don't go away and we will organize both of those properties," Kline said about The Venetian and Aladdin. "We are going to do everything possible to get the (Aladdin) organized as quickly as we can."
Goeglein denied rumors that Aladdin managers and supervisors were trained to thwart union efforts.
He said part of the training is to educate the staff about what to say when dealing with union organizing efforts. But he said the training is not anti-union. He likened it to compliance training for other federal laws such as sexual harassment.
"Our employees have an absolute right to make their own decision as to whether or not they want somebody else to represent them," said Goeglein. "That's their right, and we have no intention of prohibiting them if a majority decided they wanted to have a secret ballot election -- that is totally fair and supervised under the federal government National Labor Board regulations. That's totally fine with us."
The Venetian maintains a similar stance.
The union prefers a voluntary card check agreement such as the ones employed at other newly opened Strip resorts such as Mandalay Bay, Bellagio, Paris and the Four Seasons Las Vegas. In a card check agreement, union organizers are allowed on the property to recruit members while the company agrees to be neutral and not discuss union representation with its employees.
Critics of card check agreements say it is unfair for employers not to be allowed to present their side and counter that a secret ballot election is a fairer method.
Unions contend a secret ballot election is not fair because employers can use scare tactics to turn employees away from the union.
Goeglein said a union would interfere with the unique relationship his company wants to develop with its employees.
"We do not think there is any advantage in having any third party in being an intermediary," Goeglein said.
A 30-day probationary period for new hires compared with the union's standard 90-day period and a contract with its employees in which the company relinquishes its right as an at-will employer are among the unique arrangements.
Another is a peer review system to resolve employment conflicts.
A union dispute surrounding the opening of a new resort "can be embarrassing for Las Vegas," said University of Nevada, Las Vegas Professor Bill Thompson.
"It sets a tone that's not good," Thompson said.
Tourists come to Las Vegas to leave their problems behind, not to encounter more problems, Thompson said.
"People want to have fun and they don't want someone else's business problems put in their face," Thompson said.
MGM Grand and The Venetian both opened nonunion and successfully weathered protests, said Jason Ader, a Bear, Stearns & Co. casino industry analyst. Many MGM employees have since joined unions.
"The real issue is whether or not the product is going to be finished and whether or not that management team is going to be able to handle all the problems and snares that occur when you open one of these facilities," said Ader, who also noted the Aladdin's questionable financial backing.
He said Las Vegas casino operators financial numbers were up in August so "at least the Aladdin's opening at a strong time."
Goeglein said union protests will not be detrimental to business at the Aladdin.
"Do you think it's affected The Venetian?" he asked. "I haven't noticed anything (the union has done) that has impacted negatively on The Venetian."
UNLV's Thompson said the difference between The Venetian and the Aladdin comes down to financial backing.
"(Venetian owner Sheldon) Adelson has a ton of money," Thompson said. "And the Aladdin doesn't have deep pockets.
He said The Venetian's success against the union can be traced to its greater financial resources, which enable it to offer more benefits to its employees than the union offers.
"(Adelson's) benefits equal the union's. That's why he can fight it," Thompson said.
Aladdin workers were not represented by the Culinary union when it closed in November 1997 .
The Culinary union's collective bargaining agreement at the Aladdin was rejected as part of a January 1986 bankruptcy, said Michael Chavez, resident officer of National Labor Relations Board's Las Vegas office.
The same court order also authorized the sale of assets by the owners, entertainer Wayne Newton and former Riviera President Ed Torres, Chavez said. Two weeks later the property was purchased by Japanese business magnate and high-roller Ginji Yasuda.
Teamsters Local 995 and Operating Engineers 501 filed charges in January 1987 with the NLRB against Ginji Corp. alleging the new owners failed to recognize and bargain with the unions.
Chavez said the local NLRB office forwarded the charges to its Washington office, which recommended dismissal.
The new owners were free to set initial terms and conditions because the changes from the predecessor company were so significant that Ginji Corp. was not obligated to either recognize or bargain with either union, he said.
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Inspections continue at Aladdin
Lalo Macias, right, and fellow Culinary Local 226 members make signs Monday to prepare for a Thursday evening protest at the Aladdin. Kevin Kline, the union's organizing director, said the protest intends to show the Culinary's devotion to getting the new resort unionized.
Photo by Clint Karlsen.
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