Dealers Make Elections to Support the Transport Workers Union

The National Labor Relations Board will give Wynn Las Vegas dealers the opportunity to decide if they want to support the union to negotiate a collective agreement with the resort management.

The documentation for union authorization with the National Labor Relations Board was already filed by the Transport Workers Union of America, which is hoping to organize the Wynn dealers. The Transport Workers Union based in New York is affiliated with the AFL-CIO and represents more than 130,000 workers across the country from domains like public transportation, airlines, railroads, utilities, higher education and municipalities. The Wynn casino employs almost 700 dealers.

Wynn Las Vegas President Andrew Pascal declared he was expecting protests due to the change in how the casino pools and divides the tips earned by casino workers. But this is a subject very discussed in the last eight months.

In this time, Wynn executives added a tip pooling program which means that some managers and casino supervisors have to share in the casino's their tip. The dealers said the change cuts their earnings with almost 20.000$ per year. Before this they could earn $100,000 or more annually. Related to this, Pascal said that even though the pay of the dealers decreased at Wynn they are paid more than at any other resort in Las Vegas. Moreover, last month's tip pooling showed that the tips per share were comparable to the same month a year ago.

Wynn Las Vegas management is pushing this policy as a measure to correct a pay disparity that had dealers earning more than their supervisors. On the other hand, dealers replied Wynn Las Vegas should raise managers' pay, not introducing the tip pool.

Pascal said he is not concerned about dealers who intend to leave the casino because there are great candidates for open positions and people are still very well compensated for the job they do. Moreover, he added Wynn Las Vegas is not anti-union. As a good and stable work relations example Pascal mentioned the agreement with Culinary Workers Local 226. It seems the resort has a constructive relation with the Culinary since they renew their contract which is now valid until 2015.

The dealers complained to the state labor commissioner, sidewalk protests outside the casino and even a lawsuit. But all this actions didn’t have any result. Also, the Assembly Bill 357 in Carson City hasn’t influenced the Nevada Assembly's Judiciary Committee.

Anyway, the protest continued and dealers at four of the New Jersey gaming community's 11 casinos petitioned in recent weeks for an election to join the United Auto Workers. Other casinos from Bally, Atlantic City joined to this action.

Even if the dealers vote to approve the union representation it is not sure that a contract can be obtained. For example, in 2001 the Transport Workers Union hasn’t reached all her portfolio of 13 casinos. Only at three of them it wined the elections.