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EDITORIAL
Union bedfellows
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In a document that cuts and pastes language frequently heard from the Culinary union, the leadership of the Clark County Education Association now calls on its members to boycott local properties owned by Station Casinos to coerce management there to sign a union contract.
The announcement is interesting on several levels.
First, the teachers union frequently claims its actions are all "for the children." But under its "Smart Start" program, which partners each of its properties with a local public school, Station has donated $2.4 million to 70 high-risk elementary schools over the past decade. Do teachers seek to punish those who created "Smart Start" by leaving the sponsors less money to work with?
Second, the CCEA now states (parroting the Culinary) that Station has been "found guilty of 87 separate labor violations." In fact, an administrative judge last fall found 83 of 400 unfair labor practices alleged by the Culinary -- 21 percent -- to be worthy of forwarding to the pro-labor National Labor Relations Board, which has yet to hear, let alone find anyone guilty of anything. Most of the charges appear to be technical -- a misinformed supervisor telling an employee not to wear a union button while serving customers, etc.
But worst of all, the teachers union now aligns itself with a Culinary local that has not only been harassing businesses and individuals who have dealings with Station (see the nationwide full-court press against the UFC, which Station's Fertitta brothers control), but actually contacting convention organizers and conventioneers, attempting to get them to cancel events at Station properties.
If these Culinary tactics were to succeed, every property in town might have to move full-time employees back to the part-time board, or even lay them off. Tax revenues would fall again, and with them school funding.
It seems hard to believe a well-informed CCEA membership would support such a kamikaze approach.
Workers have a right to unionize, of course, and labor peace could be valuable to the city's economic recovery. But the solution needn't involve anyone contacting out-of-town conventioneers and urging them to stay away.
All that's needed is for the Culinary to collect signatures from 30 percent of the employees in any potential bargaining group and then to ask the NLRB to schedule a secret-ballot unionization election at that property. The fact that union officials have thus far declined to exercise this option -- resorting instead to these destructive tactics -- speaks volumes about how they believe they would fare in such a vote.
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It appears as there are several union bedfellows associated with the teacher's union how about Jasonek, CTE, ALL CTE programs and colleges to name a few.
I do hope CCEA members are not going to go illegal picket by Culinary Union like last spring. To CCEA members: don't worry about 26th rating. These Asian countries are not going to change their school system. Sorry for ignored poverty stricken people there. GM and APPLE made factories there. Knowing how terrible their countries' school system, Japanese corporations, with own experience in school reform history, for example, Toyota makes Camary in Ky and ship to Korea. CCEA and Calinary have different occupations. Keep faith. you people do not want to work for kitchens. Even if you are cute, if you go to Oscar's restaurant to work for, that is not unionized. If you want to make more money, go get a training to become a dealer in Casinos, there are many dealers who used to be system engineers until they got laid off with that recession. Station Casinos and other casinos in Clark County have been hiring, all the time even that recession time. You don't have to pay union due.
RWSDO: With my only knowledge of Japan and USA, I knew USA school system is far better than Japan. How could I explain Japanese corporations made divisions in USA since before 1960 when IBM 360 was introduced? US school system produces plenty techno-workers regardless of genders. USA school system is better than Japan, at least. Common sense, analytic mind, US students are super than Japanese system. When comparing with school system that has 9th grade illuminated (more than 1/2 of students. There are entrance exam to Senior High and if they don't pass no more schooling - Gimu kyoiku ) HS students, Asian schools, may be No.1 or No 2. US students are competed by such system. Of cause China is NO. 1. It has so many children whose parents can not afford to go to school. Only elite children, USA compete and tell us 26th ranking.
The Teachers Union just hired another THUG..... Too sad for the really caring teachers.....
US Education system had not failed. The family unit has failed. If our education system is so bad how do we have public school students attending the best universities in the world? The whole thing is a big lie. The US tests all students, the others only test the kids who are college bound. We should only use the scores from our students who are college bound, and you will suddenly see that we are not 26th any longer.
CCEA should worry about preventing teachers from being bent over by a school district that cries poverty but has a ton of teachers like County Commission Chris G. working outside the classroom for YEARS. CCEA does not need to get involved in the battles of the culinary union, CCEA needs to worry about the rank and file teacher for once. CCEA, mind your own business, work for teachers, put your energy into keeping teachers from being bent over by the school district who professes its love of children and then engages in actions that can only be interpreted to be contrary to the best interest of children. I am not going to boycott station, actually this will make me patronize station properties more often.
Oops, another goof. 6 yrs-HS. Japan used to separate girls and boys after 2nd grade. Girls were disturbance to boys' study. Station Casinos do not have gender discrimination. You see Japanese corporations create their divisions in USA and manufacture? Toyota, Sony, too many to name. They like education system of USA more than in their country. Men don't quit when females are hired in same position. I see all sort of people Stations employ. Teachers here must be creating better result here.
The statistics and probabilities are very important subjects, especially in this area. However, we can not compare USA schools and many foreign countries. In some countries, many students quit after 9 years. In many countries, 9 yr-HS attended, they get diploma automatically. In some countries, 5 & 1/2 days a week. It produces many bored students who master how to take test easily.
In USA, students are accessed to technical gadgets. Not all other countries. AST is out of dated so USA students and teachers get blamed. Station Casinos have been supporting local schools. I hope teachers do not become helpers of Culinary Union.
@gbigs. I have no issue with the stats, but what you said was that this is why public education is failing. You gave the information as to where the US was ranked, but you didn't say what the difference between the countries was to cause those rankings. For example, some countries have longer school years and longer school days. In other countries, students stay with the same teacher for a number of years. You know, more than a recounting of facts that are common knowledge. Tell us why you think that public education is failing. You didn't give us a comparison. What were the rankings 5 years ago, 10 years ago? How are the US rankings based on a "union failure"?
To everybody on this board, I apologize for my wrong assumption. I wrote 'meager due'. I thought the union due is 10 cents a month. Not, so many $$$ a week x 13000 people x 365 days. Now, you can laugh at my ignorance. I don't mind to be ridiculed for my stupidity. I believe Station Casinos pay its employees every 2 weeks. Their employees pool their tips and share themselves. Not like Wynn which were sued and lost, Station employees do not share their tips to floor man or supervisor or whoever. I do not gamble but these dealers smile and bow to me whenever I pass their table, if they are not busy. Unlike Japan, I see a variety of people all over. Tall, short, heavy, skinny, middle, young, old, gray hair, dark hair, some look young but this is because they use movie stat type make-up.