see this patron? i hope they don't start a week early, i'm going next wednesday.
Las Vegas Casino Workers Seen as Likely to Authorize a Strike
2002-05-16 08:04 (New York)
Las Vegas Casino Workers Seen as Likely to Authorize a Strike
Las Vegas, May 16 (Bloomberg) -- Las Vegas hotel and
restaurant workers today are likely to authorize a strike, union
and casino officials said, raising the threat of a walkout by
45,000 employees when the U.S. summer travel season begins.
Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local
165 want MGM Mirage, Park Place Entertainment Corp., Harrah's
Entertainment Inc. and other employers to ease workloads and
contribute more for health coverage.
About 3,000 hotel workers are still laid off after Sept. 11,
and those who remain at work have been taking on more duties as
travel rebounds, the unions said.
A walkout when the union's contract expires May 31 may slow
recovery in Las Vegas following a drop in visitors in 2001, the
first decline in 20 years as casino revenue slipped 1.5 percent.
The last citywide strike occurred in 1984, when 17,000 culinary
union workers walked out for two months, costing city businesses
$150 million, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal.
``It's not good for the town,'' said Shannon Bybee, executive
director of the International Gaming Institute at the University
of Nevada Las Vegas. While ``travel is coming back faster than
everyone expected,'' a strike would divert potential visitors to
other places, he said.
Casino shares have fallen about 3 percent in anticipation of
the strike vote. Before the decline, the Standard & Poor's 500
Supercomposite Casinos & Gaming Index had risen 66 percent since
the terrorist attacks.
While strike authorization is likely, company and union
officials expect to reach a contract before the deadline. Harrah's
and the union have already reached agreement on issues relating to
health care, said Marilyn Winn, head of human resources for the
third-largest casino company.
--Jeannine DeFoe in the New York newsroom (212) 893-3956 or
jdefoe@bloomberg.net. Editor: Kleege, *Burgess, *kessler
Story illustration: To graph the performance of the Standard &
Poor's Supercomposite Casinos & Gaming Index, enter
{S15CASI <Index> GP <GO>}. To graph the performance of the
Bloomberg Las Vegas Index, enter {BLVX US <Index> GP <GO>}. To see
the Culinary Union's Web site on contract talks, enter
lasvegascontractdeadline.com
Company news:
AZR US <Equity> CN
BYD US <Equity> CN
HET US <Equity> CN
MBG US <Equity> CN
MGG US <Equity> CN
PPE US <Equity> CN
STN US <Equity> CN |
