Back to the future

by Roger Gros

Last year, when dealers at Wynn Las Vegas and Caesars Palace were voting on a union, I pointed out why a choice to unionize might not be in their best interests.  There are many reasons why belonging to a union on a casino floor is bad for both the dealers and the casino.

Let’s recap some of those reasons and what has transpired since the affirmative votes were made at both properties.

 • An “alien” third party on the casino floor: Luckily this hasn’t become a problem yet because the union and the casinos have not yet negotiated one contract (more on that later).

 By strictly codifying what are and what are not accepted procedures on a casino floor, casino management has no choice but to document mistakes, problems and issues that come up during the normal course of business. What may have in the past been either ignored or simply discussed, now will have to be put down in writing so the casino can protect itself from challenges by the union. This will add to the cost of operation for both the casino and the union (raising the dues payments).

Dealers will now be subject to discipline for simple mistakes that may have been overlooked or mentioned in passing in the past. The contract work rules will stipulate exactly how many mistakes will be permitted that trigger suspension and/or termination.

 • Career advancement: Unionized dealers will have little or no chance of promotion.

The negative elements of unionization on the casino floor will, in all likelihood, keep a casino from promoting a dealer who is a member of the union. It doesn’t make sense for casino officials to take the chance of moving a union member into a management position on the casino floor.

As an example of this principle, Wynn Las Vegas has announced that its dealers will be ineligible for promotion or transfer to the new Encore while contract negotiations are underway. As Wynn Resorts grows in Las Vegas, with Chairman Steve Wynn announcing several more hotels and a massive convention center on the golf course of Wynn Las Vegas, casino union members will be locked out of any career advancement.

And not only will this be true at Wynn, it is highly unlikely that any other casino in Nevada would hire any dealer connected to a union, so if you’re a union dealer now, your casino career advancement is over.

There is a group of casino dealers at Wynn that is trying to reverse the union vote of last year. They are reasonably concerned that the opportunities always present in a Steve Wynn-run organization will not be available to them.

 • Contract negotiations: Many dealers at Wynn and Caesars Palace were jubilant when the announcement of the unionization vote was made. Some are having second thoughts for obvious reasons.

As the months drag on with no resolution, they have to wonder what they’ve gotten into. Remember, this is the union that failed to reach a contract agreement with the New Frontier when its dealers voted to unionize. This is the union that is working to sign up more dealers on the Strip rather than work for a contract for the dealers who have already voted to bring them in. A union is supposed to work for the dealers, but it is clear that the union wants to use the two successful votes to leverage more union votes on the Strip.

Other dealers in Las Vegas casinos are wisely holding off voting because they want to see some results at the two casinos that have already signed up.

As with all initial union contract negotiations, union and management starts at square one. Everything is negotiable, from salaries, overtime, health benefits, pensions, work rules and more.

In fact, at Wynn Las Vegas, when the company recently upgraded its benefit plans, the dealers negotiating a contract were left out. Why would a casino pass on benefits to a group of employees that is in talks to establish a base plan?

These are only three points in a very complicated process that never had to occur. Dealers and management have always been able to work out their disagreements in a rational and logical process in the past. Yes, Wynn implemented a rather radical new concept in tip-sharing with supervisors, and, I believe, he now understands that there may have been other ways he could have accomplished the same result. But with a union in place now, Wynn has no wiggle room.     

The de-certification of the union at Wynn Las Vegas is the only logical choice left for dealers if they want to assure their future and the exceptional advancement possibilities always present in Wynn Resorts and the gaming industry as a whole. Don’t let this chance slip away.