Wynn Dealers Unionizing

[Clarkmeister]

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Unions are a major part of life in Las Vegas in the gaming industry. They are the major reason why cocktail waitresses have pensions and fully paid health insurance and are able to buy their own homes and put kids through college.



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GMAB that unions have anything to do with the fact that full time cocktail jobs on the strip pay well and have benefits.

[spies]

lol please tell me another city in america where cocktail waitresses have fully paid health care and pensions.

i know one: atlantic city, nj, another unionized gaming city

[52s]

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Aren't there throngs of would-be dealers just waiting to be hired if the Wynn dealers strike?

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A line from the Stratosphere to Mandalay Bay. There's a ton of dealers who would kill to make what the Wynn dealers are making now, post-tip reduction.

Bicycles pretty much expressed my feelings. The only reason Uncle Steve took a piece of the tips for the bosses was to entice dealers to move up the ranks because no dealers whatsoever wanted to give up the gravy train and living high on the schnied.

Maybe he went about it the wrong way, but I don't know if increasing the bosses' salaries by $10-$15k without touching the tips would've helped entice dealers to move up in job status and responsibility or not, and that's a big question, I feel, in wondering why what's happened, happened.

[*TT*]

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lol please tell me another city in america where cocktail waitresses have fully paid health care and pensions.

i know one: atlantic city, nj, another unionized gaming city

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Vegas cocktail waitresses would have these benefits regardless because its needed to attract the labor force. Vegas is much bigger than AC.

[*TT*]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Aren't there throngs of would-be dealers just waiting to be hired if the Wynn dealers strike?

[/ QUOTE ]

A line from the Stratosphere to Mandalay Bay. There's a ton of dealers who would kill to make what the Wynn dealers are making now, post-tip reduction.

Bicycles pretty much expressed my feelings. The only reason Uncle Steve took a piece of the tips for the bosses was to entice dealers to move up the ranks because no dealers whatsoever wanted to give up the gravy train and living high on the schnied.

Maybe he went about it the wrong way, but I don't know if increasing the bosses' salaries by $10-$15k without touching the tips would've helped entice dealers to move up in job status and responsibility or not, and that's a big question, I feel, in wondering why what's happened, happened.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not only are the Wynn dealers the highest paid after the tip sharing scheme, the bosses were some of the best compensated in Vegas as well. Only problem is they cant make nearly as much as they can being a dealer. I actually think Wynn's idea was based on a solid concept, but the road to implementation was bound to be rocky.

If I were Steve I'd tell the union to shove it when they ask for the tip-sharing policy to be withdrawn, he can give concessions in other areas but this is establishing a good precedent for the future - dealers need an upwardly mobile path to success, and right now there is none.

[NevadaKaz]

If only Wynn had the foresight to implement this tip sharing scheem before the doors opened, there would have been no uproar.

Demand for dealing postions would not have been affected either.

[*TT*]

[ QUOTE ]
If only Wynn had the foresight to implement this tip sharing scheem before the doors opened, there would have been no uproar.

Demand for dealing postions would not have been affected either.

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I think everyone agrees with that, however who would have guessed the tips would be so huge that it created a lopsided economy?

[psandman]

So if you had such a job, and then your boss came in one day without warning or discussion and announced unilaterilly that he was taking 10-20% of your pay andusing it to pay othetr employees (who would not be alleviating your workload) you would be happy about that say well at least I still make a lot of money for an uneducated peron who works in a gorgeous air conditioned environment + full benefits?

How many times would be able to accept your boss unilaterally reducing your compensation before you felt you had something to bitch about?

On top of that remember that the money they are making isn't even money paid by WYNN -- its not like a scenario were a business comes along and says we need to reduce wages or the business won't survive so making less is better than making nothing.

Many of these dealers are what you would "call" educated. All of them though are educated. You see WYNN is not a breakin house (though I know a poker dealer at WYNN who broke in there) These Pit dealers all are experienced Pit dealers. These are people who who have been doing these jobs long enough to become "educated" in doing them.

[AngusThermopyle]

So supervisors get a $36K increase and Wynn doesn't have to pay a thing.
Would have cost him $1.6M a quarter.

Net casino revenues in the first quarter of 2007 were $173.1 million.
Table games win per unit per day was $12,794
... Source

[*TT*]

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On top of that remember that the money they are making isn't even money paid by WYNN -- its not like a scenario were a business comes along and says we need to reduce wages or the business won't survive so making less is better than making nothing.

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My company owns a bar in NYC, for years the bartenders would tip out the barbacks and porters whatever they felt was "right". This policy was set up under the old management, when the new manager came along he couldn't figure out why he can't keep support staff for more than a few months. he implemented a new mandetory percentage of tip share policy which solved the problem - sort of. Now there were a bunch of unhappy bartenders, who were abusive to the support staff and complained all the time - the worst of them were fired, and the remaining complainers suddenly got quiet. One of them pointed out a few weeks later that he never thought the old policy was fair, but suddenly he is taking home more money because the busboys and barbacks are moving faster - which means greater sales and higher tip pools. The net result was support staff is happy, they make more now and aren't being abused, and the bartenders are making nearly the same amount as before on most nights, and occasionally they are making more because of the increased performance.

Of course this little story cant be applied in its pure form to the situation at the Wynn, but it does help to show that this is a very common thing for management to do - often without negative ramifications like we are seeing at Wynn.