Caesars Palace dealers to vote on union representation today

Dealers at Caesars Palace will decide today if they will become the second group of local dealers at high-end casinos to unionize.

Today's union vote comes about seven months after dealers at Wynn Las Vegas overwhelmingly authorized being represented by the Transport Workers Union of America in response to Wynn Resorts' decision to share the dealers' tips with the casino's supervisors.

"Remember the Wynn!" is posted throughout an online bulletin board being used by dealers to rally support for the effort to have Las Vegas Dealers Local 721, an affiliate of the Transport Workers Union, represent about 560 dealers at Caesars Palace.

"I think it's time in Las Vegas where the dealers should have representation," Joseph Carbon, lead organizer for the union in Las Vegas, said Friday. "Certainly, they feel that way now.

"The atmosphere is different now, so they feel they need some job security and protection. So hopefully we can give them that."

Gary Selesner, president of Caesars Palace, said the practice of sharing tips has never been considered at the property and the property's management doesn't support the practice.

Carbon, however, said the dealers aren't just concerned about the possibility of having some of their tips diverted to supervisors. Workers at Caesars also want to have a better channel to express their concerns about health benefits, wages, job security and seniority.

Gary Selesner, president of Caesars Palace, said, “Dealing at Caesars Palace is one of the most highly coveted jobs in the casino industry. Our dealers continue to have the highest toke rates in Las Vegas, and this will only improve with our expansion plans.”

Caesars announced a $1 billion expansion in the summer that will add a hotel tower, suites, restaurants and other high-end amenities to the property.

Selesner added that management does not believe the Transport Workers Union is the right fit for the dealers or the casino industry in general.

"We believe it is in the best interest of the dealers at Caesars Palace to work with management to continue making dealing at Caesars Palace the best job in the casino industry," he said.

Today's vote will be held in two sessions that will be overseen by the National Labor Relations Board. The votes will be tallied after the polls close at 11:30 p.m.

The results will be announced Sunday, although a final vote tally could take as many as 10 days to certify if there are any objections to the vote.

The vote comes seven months after dealers at Wynn Las Vegas approved the union's representation by a vote of 444-149.

In September 2006, casino developer Steve Wynn announced that certain managers and casino supervisors would be added to the list of employees who qualify to share in the casino's often-times lucrative tip pool.

The decision led dealers to seek union representation. The Transport Workers is still negotiating a union contract with Wynn Resorts.

This is not the first time the Transport Workers Union has tried to organize dealers in Las Vegas.

In 2001, votes were held at 11 properties, with dealers at the Tropicana, Stratosphere and the New Frontier approving union representation.

However, the only contract that materialized was for the 105 dealers at the New Frontier. The union was unable to negotiate contracts at the other two casinos and was decertified in 2002.

Dealers at the Monte Carlo, Treasure Island, New York-New York, Excalibur, MGM Grand, Bally's, Riviera and Las Vegas Hilton voted down representation in 2001.

This time around, the union seems to be moving more slowly, property by property.

Carbon said dealers at several other properties in Las Vegas have been signing registration cards asking for union votes, although he declined to identify which property might vote next.

"That effort (in 2001) was more to take it on and see what happens," said Carbon, who was not involved in the organizing efforts six years ago. "Last time we went after a number of casinos at one time, and I believe it takes away from what you really need to do when you spread yourself along four, five or six casinos at one time."

He also doesn't think the future of organizing dealers in Las Vegas hinges on today's vote.

Although the vote is the first for dealers at a Harrah's Entertainment property in Las Vegas, unions have been succeeding at the company's properties elsewhere.

Dealers at the Caesars Palace and Bally's in Atlantic City voted this year for representation by United Auto Workers, which represents approximately 6,000 casino workers in Atlantic City, Detroit and Newport, R.I.

Contact reporter Arnold M. Knightly at aknightly@reviewjournal.com or (702) 477-3893.