Harahs AC - dealers reject union

[*TT*]

UAW just failed at trying to unionize Harrah's dealers in AC. Now this really surprises me, thats one of the casinos where I would have expected the union to be able to take control.

[dudemanjack]

Well, they just raised our base pay to $4.30 minimum. Raises are .25 per year plus you can also get a 5% bonus raise if your performance qualifies for it. The max rate was also raised as well (I forget how high because it doesn't really effect me since I'm < 1) They are also adding an HMO plan for next year.

Caesar's is union and didn't get anything...not sure about Bally's though. I don't understand why a union would even pass because the majority of dealers are not full time anyway and have really nothing to gain by having a union. Even if I did want a union, why the UAW? What experience do they have at helping workers in a service industry?

[psandman]

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Caesar's is union and didn't get anything...not sure about Bally's though. I don't understand why a union would even pass because the majority of dealers are not full time anyway and have really nothing to gain by having a union.

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well one thing that a union can negotiate for is full-time positions. It would be very likely that a union contract would require a a balance between full-time and part time employees, with an eye towards keeping the property from using dealers on part-time basis to avoid giving them benefits. Also the union can negitiate higher pay and benefits for part-time employees as well.

When I was in High School I worked in a supermarket part-time and was a member of the UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers Union) that union certainly benefited me even as a part ime employee.

Keep in mind that in addition to things like benfits and raises a union can benefit part-time employees in other ways. I worked as an extra board dealer in a poker room where our manager took the position that the schedule was subject to change without notice. On one occasion I was in the poker room on a wednesday. Looked at the schedule and I wast scheduled to work. Sometime after that the manager put me on to work on Friday. He simply printed another schedule and posted it. he didn't call me, he didn't email me - nothing. So on Friday I get a call from a shift supervisor wondering if I'm planning on showing up. I ended up having to quit that job, becaus knew if I didn't quit i would end up getting fired. I think a union could put a stop to that sort of nonsense.

[pa3lsvt]

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Even if I did want a union, why the UAW? What experience do they have at helping workers in a service industry?

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Because as the US Auto Industry goes into the crapper, the UAW is desperate for membership. Lots of dues paying UAW'ers getting laid off nowadays (poor productivity due to excessive direct labor salaries is mostly to blame), and they don't pay dues when they take that job at Wal Mart. They'll take whatever members they can get.

IIRC, there is a UAW hall on whatever that road is that takes you from the ACX to the south end of town (towards the Trop).

[Gonso]

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UAW just failed at trying to unionize Harrah's dealers in AC. Now this really surprises me, thats one of the casinos where I would have expected the union to be able to take control.

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You're thinking about the Hilton voting down the UAW this weekend, not Harrah's. But yeah, those Harrah's Entertainment properties will probably all go union though. They suck to work for. The others, eh, 50-50. I don't expect Borgata dealers to go union either though.

[T Money]

Just thought this was pertinent to the subject at hand, as it may lead to consequences later.

I was playing 1/2 at Hilton on Sunday night, and the dealers had voted down the union. All the dealers who had voted for the Union called in sick on Sunday, which lead to the cancellation of the 10pm tourney that night (of which there were at least 75 people waiting for at the time).

While I certainly wish the best for dealers, I hope we don't see more of this going on through the city.

[*TT*]

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[ QUOTE ]
UAW just failed at trying to unionize Harrah's dealers in AC. Now this really surprises me, thats one of the casinos where I would have expected the union to be able to take control.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're thinking about the Hilton voting down the UAW this weekend, not Harrah's. But yeah, those Harrah's Entertainment properties will probably all go union though. They suck to work for. The others, eh, 50-50. I don't expect Borgata dealers to go union either though.


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Thanks, I stand corrected. Dam H casinos all sound the same.

[Gonso]

They only spread low limit hold'em games in their poker room last I checked, so I don't imagine the poker dealers do very well. I read in yesterday's paper that their toke rate is $17-18 for table games, which is pretty low.

I doubt anything will happen with the dealers calling out sick, it's not like they can get the best dealers to work there unless it's a side job.