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Culinary union stages demonstration targeting Station Casinos
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Duane Prokop/Las Vegas Review-Journal
Culinary union workers on Thursday protest in front of Palace Station. The protesters claimed unfair treatment of Latino workers, but officials at Station Casinos roundly rebutted the accusations. » Buy this photo
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Culinary union workers on Thursday protest in front of Palace Station. The protesters claimed unfair treatment of Latino workers, but officials at Station Casinos roundly rebutted the accusations. Duane Prokop/Las Vegas Review-Journal » Buy this photo
Culinary Local 226 on Thursday again took its efforts to organize workers at Station Casinos Inc. properties to the streets of Las Vegas.
Las Vegas Police Department Capt. Larry Burns said about 1,000 union members and supporters participated in a two-mile march from the Culinary headquarters at 1630 S. Commerce St. to Palace Station.
The demonstration culminated in the arrests of 100 people for blocking a Palace Station entrance, police said. Three police buses were on the scene to process the arrested demonstrators, who were charged with misdemeanors and released.
Thursday's march reprised a Feb. 17 union demonstration in front of Palace Station that yielded 22 arrests of union members.
Battling banners provided a visual back-and-forth at Thursday's demonstration. Before the late-afternoon march, three billboard trucks with banners reading "WE LOVE LOCALS, STATION CASINOS" trundled slowly down Commerce Street near the Culinary's headquarters.
By the time the arrests occurred, the trucks were parked at the protest site. Station Casinos also hung four banners on the side of a parking garage in 2500 block of South Teddy Drive that read "OUR HEART SETS US APART" and featured pictures of smiling local workers.
Several marchers in the protest, meanwhile, wore signs declaring the opposite: "STATION HATES LOCALS." A woman and a man near the front of the line wore nearly body-length heart-shaped signs featuring frowning faces and reading, "STATION FIRED LATINOS."
In a statement emailed to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Station Casinos Vice President of Human Resources Valerie Murzl rebutted the claims of injustices against workers.
"The Culinary union's claims that we discriminate against our Hispanic team members are ridiculous blatant lies," she said. "There are no real facts or the Culinary union would file charges, sue or request a thorough investigation, not stage a media-stunt protest."
Murzl added that her company prides itself on treating workers with fairness and the utmost respect.
One local protester arrested Thursday was Omar Mendoza, who spent 14 years as food server for Sunset Station. He said he was fired Sept. 9, about six weeks after he wore a union support button to work.
"The reason I'm doing this tonight is that I was want to get my job back," he said. "I'm going to fight to get back to work. We will continue to organize until Station Casinos becomes a union shop."
Support for the union also came from out of state and out of labor.
Ken Weaver, a member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 24 in Madison, Wis., marched with the Culinary representatives, saying, "We came out here to join with the struggle, to share the same battle that we are going through in Wisconsin."
Also along was Jonathan Klein, a rabbi and representative of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice. He said, "I am here to support these workers who are facing injustices."
The Culinary has been trying unsuccessfully for about 15 years to unionize almost 13,000 workers at the 18 hotel-casinos operated by Station Casinos. Ken Liu, a Culinary research director, said the union's latest organizing campaign aimed at Station Casinos began in February 2010.
Even though Las Vegas is friendlier to unions than other areas of Nevada, those who follow economic trends or the casino industry don't expect the union's latest efforts to succeed.
"When a recession hits, everything slows down and employees are not nearly as prone to complain when their jobs are at risk," said Jeff Waddoups, an associate professor of economics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Waddoups explained that the union had pretty much "locked up the Strip" with some exceptions, and has turned its attention to the locals market.
"If a union is going to have more power economically, they are going to have to be successful with organizing the neighborhood casinos," he said.
Contact reporter Chris Sieroty at csieroty @reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893.
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Too bad those buses were parked headed South - the heck with processing and arresting - how bout we just deport these illegals. Just imagine the jobs that would become available to legal citizens if we could just deport the illegals who actually have the nerve to demonstrate! Ah, but then the Casino's would have to pay a living wage - darn it.
unions are out demonstrating again today. boo hoo. let them eat cake.
does the culinary union have even one illegal as a dues paying member ? if so why does the union so despise american citizens who have to reimburse through unemployment insurance, legal but unemployed citizens ?
this was the biggest BS deminstration ever i wish the union would quit lyeing to folks station casinos has very good bennifits better then they offer now i am for protesting but what does blasting very loud music have to do with a protest all that does is get folks mad at the union and want you all gone and its funny station casinos hates latinos that all they seam to hire and everyone that works for
stations casino thinks they ar mistreated should just quit there are no jobs try unemployment and then you have no insurance either dont fall for this union all they want is your dues they will not fight for you look at all the other casinos that have closed did the union get them another job nope you get to pickit when they have one but yet you still have to pay your union des working or not remember this fols 200.000 folks in nevada out of work would love to have a job
if anyone working for station thinks they are so horribly mistreated they should just quit! with 13.6% UNemployment, there will be no shortage of people grateful to get a job!
NEW YORK -- Despite high unemployment and a largely languishing real estate market, U.S. businesses are more profitable than ever, according to federal figures released on Friday.
U.S. corporate profits hit an all-time high at the end of 2010, with financial firms showing some of the biggest gains, data from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis show. Corporations reported an annualized $1.68 trillion in profit in the fourth quarter. The previous record, without being adjusted for inflation, was $1.65 trillion in the third quarter of 2006.
Many of the nation's preeminent companies have posted massive increases in profits this year. General Electric posted worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, while profits at JPMorgan Chase were up 47 percent to $4.8 billion.
Corporate profits steadily increased last year as companies continued holding onto record amounts of cash and other liquid assets while cutting costs, laying off workers and wringing more productivity -- defined as the amount of output that comes from an hour of work -- from remaining staff, even as the recession eased.
notice the press hyping unions by pretending the triangle fire was some kind of grand union win. turns out, these women would have died even if in a union, the city made the changes, not the unions. in any case. jack.webb is a rachael maddog feeder.
In my opinion the Culinary Union supports criminals and lawlessness concerning the illegal alien issue and nothing gives me more pleasure than making my way past Culinary Union protestors. When I see the lies and bullying signs like, Stations hates Latinos, I absolutely know I’m doing the right thing pushing thru the criminal supporting protesters and having breakfast. Hopefully possible slackers bullying their agendas like Mendoza don’t get their jobs back. I have noticed thru the last 15 years or so services in casinos have continued to slide a downward slope and we can only assume why but I do have a good idea.
Please support Station Casinos with your dollars. Show them we do not see the unions and their ugly picket lines.
Yes, do support Stations, a gaming company that outsources jobs. A gaming company that eliminated the 401K for its employees, only to enrich the Fertittas in their outrageous buyout. Support Stations as they make every attempt to eliminate competition. Support Stations even tho they cried broke BEFORE the bankruptcy but now has millions to spend on a media blitz to sway the negative opinion they deserved during their deceipt, better know as their bankruptcy. Anyone who is not aware of these tactics by Stations has their head in the sand.
All businesses - union or non-union - value dedicated, hard working employees and strive to weed out those that are poor performers. The big difference is that a union shop has to jump through numerous hoops, often going to arbitration, in an attempt to terminate the employment of a sub-par worker. The union could care less that the substandard worker is causing its other members to work harder to pick up the slack ... they are only concerned about keeping those monthly dues flowing in. I have personally witnessed a Local here in Las Vegas spend 10s of thousands of its member's dues defending workers who have attendance issues, substance abuse problems and even sexual harrasment against fellow union members.