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Union takes Station protest to restaurant
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Bill Hughes/Las Vegas Review-Journal
Mario Medina hands out leaflets Thursday outside of a Subway restaurant at 4551 W. Flamingo Road. In the leaflets, the Culinary union identifies Frank Schreck as the restaurant's owner and a "business partner" of Station Casinos and asks him to tell the casino company to stop firing Latino workers. » Buy this photo
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Enrique Vicke, an organizer with Culinary Workers Union Local 226, talks with Subway customer Kim Smith Thursday outside of the restaurant at 4551 W. Flamingo Road. Bill Hughes/Las Vegas Review-Journal » Buy this photo
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Aug. 19, 2011 | 9:21 a.m.
Members of the Culinary Workers Union stood outside a Subway restaurant on Thursday, passing out leaflets that urged the owners of the franchise to call on Station Casinos LLC to "stop its anti-union campaign."
"We believe it's important that the public understand what Station Casinos is doing," said Yvanna Cancela, the union's political director.
The leaflets asked customers, "What's the price of your sandwich?" It also identified Frank Schreck as the owner of the restaurant at 4551 W. Flamingo Road and as a "business partner" of Station Casinos.
The union urged Schreck, owner of Subway Nevada LLC and a partner in the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, to tell the gaming company to stop firing Latino workers and "respect its employees' right to organize without interference."
The union also asked Schreck to pressure Station Casinos to "agree to a fair process for workers to decide whether to have union representation."
Schreck said he was taken aback by the union's decision to target one of his restaurants.
"I've been representing Station Casinos for over 35 years," he said. "I helped Mr. (Frank) Fertitta (Jr.) to get his gaming license. I wrote a letter of recommendation to USC for Frank Fertitta (III). I've also known D. Taylor (secretary-treasurer) of the Culinary union for years."
Schreck said he couldn't do what the union was asking him to do because of his role as an attorney representing Station Casinos in nonlabor matters. He also took offense at being considered anti-Latino because of his long relationship with Station Casinos.
"We have 500 to 600 people employed by Subway Nevada, 90 percent of which are Latinos. Ninety percent of our management is Latino," Schreck said in a phone interview. "I have sent D. Taylor an e-mail outlining my concerns."
Culinary 226 members spent two hours passing leaflets to customers, who seemed to support the union's organizing efforts. Schreck said the union members were simply interfering with the business.
Kim Smith, of Las Vegas-based Curtis Steel Co. Inc., said the union's tactics "were kind of interesting."
"I didn't know of the things they are alleging," Smith said. "You don't hear the details of what goes on day to day."
Jaime Abarca, who was visiting from San Diego, said he supported the union's efforts. After reading the union's claims of discrimination and illegal terminations, Abarca got into his car saying, "It's not fair, it's not fair."
Lori Nelson, corporate communications director at Station Casinos, said the union's efforts were "yet another example of the strong-arm tactics being used by the Culinary union as part of their continued harassment of our company."
Nelson said the claims that the company discriminates against its Hispanic employees are "ridiculous blatant lies."
"These tactics by the Culinary union leadership have been going on for years due to their frustration over our employees not being interested in joining the union," she said. "How unfortunate for Culinary union members that their dues continue to pay for shameless stunts like this."
Mario Medina, who said he was fired from Fiesta Henderson in March 2010, argued his efforts weren't a stunt, but an ongoing effort to have Station Casinos stop its "anti-union activities."
Medina said Station Casinos told him he was fired after four years for being late to work. He claimed he was fired for trying to organize and for wearing a pro-union button.
Over the last few months, the union has protested outside a number of other companies that do business with or own a stake in Station Casinos, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. branches and Bagel City.
"Trying to sabotage our restaurant tenants at their other locations in Las Vegas has nothing to do with their disingenuous claims of trying to protect team members; rather they're trying to negatively impact innocent third parties in an effort to coerce our company," Nelson said.
Contact reporter Chris Sieroty at csieroty@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893.
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Chris Sieroty, the reporter of these stories is pretty much a liar and clearly has a pro-union agenda.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travelblogs/25/98240/R-J+Breathlessly+Reports+False+Cosmo+Firing+Story?destId=362150
Hey RJ. Why didn't you can Chris when you had the chance?
To Mr. Schreck;
The greater LV majority supports you and the fine business ethics you have accomplished. Keep up the good work Mr. Schreck.
As a result of the attempted union extortion, we plan on increasing our support of your restaurants 500% in the upcoming days.
Bear in mind that the reporter of these stories (Chris Sieroty) is pro-union. Do a google search on his name and you'll see that he only writes stories that are pro-union.
Too bad he didn't get the ax when the journal laid off their last batch of employees.
He shouldn't even be a journalist for his biased and nonobjective reporting.
The unions are powerless. No one takes them seriously anymore. Even their own executives have made it clear that they are nothing more then an annoyance (i.e.; 3 year old child having a tantrum) in the face of true business.
@ Mike.Henderson2,,, Certainly you are accurately pointing out the thug like and disingenuous accusations by Latino’s and the union. I remember when all departments in hotels were very diversified with legal immigrants, black, white, Hispanic, and Asians. Now some departments are completely Hispanic mostly all Spanish speaking and this is the same for most construction work in the area. If there is any discrimination it’s done in favor of Hispanic’s and many of them illegal aliens willing to work for less. Than businesses and the one ethnic group supporting a criminal invasion use the exact language once used during the era of institutionalized racism against blacks, saying their ethnic group are better workers or saying citizens won’t do these jobs. All to justify their own racism and discrimination now supported by some unions and truly sending Black Americans back to an era many never thought they’d never face again only this time from another minority.
If Stations Casinos are so racist that they are firing their Latino employees, why did they hire the Latino employees in the first place? The Union seems to take the postion that because an employee is Hispanic, he/she shouldn't be fired no matter what. Get real! The employer usually hates to fire a trained employee, because then the employer is going to have to train a new employee.(And chances re the new employee will also by Hispanic!)
What is D Taylor's salary, benefits and expense account allowance?
Unions are done.
They need to keep it up - the more they expose what they are, the more votes they lose. All the cockroaches came out of the woodwork when Obama was annointed.
He sure hangs around with a lot of low life trash.
I hate unions and Im in one , there a thing of the past !
again, is there even one illegal in the culinary union ? if so, why is the union leadership not incarcerated for domestic terrorism ? for some reason the union drones refuse to disclose their illegal membership.