Las Vegas Sun

November 21, 2009

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CityCenter workers still off the job; more talks this afternoon

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Construction workers picket in front of MGM Mirage's CityCenter Tuesday afternoon in protest of safety conditions for the $9.2 billion project. The strike, which started late Monday night in reaction to the deaths of 11 workers on Strip projects over the last year and a half, ended when union leaders and contractor Perini Building Co. reached an agreement on improved safety conditions.

Thousands of construction workers who walked off the CityCenter and Cosmopolitan construction sites at midnight to demonstrate their concerns over safety issues remain off the job.

A 9 a.m. meeting between the Southern Nevada Building and Construction Trades Council and Perini Building Company to discuss workers' demands ended up being simply a phone call between the two sides with nothing resolved.

But Steve Ross, secretary treasurer of the umbrella labor organization, said that a face-to-face meeting with Perini officials is expected later today. Company executives from out of town are flying in to Las Vegas to participate in the talks.

The construction workers are demanding that Perini, which is the general contractor on CityCenter and the adjacent Cosmopolitian, take three steps to address safety concerns: They want the company to pay for additional safety training for workers, to allow national union researchers to examine root causes of safety problems on the site, and to allow union leaders full access to the work sites.

Attention to worker safety at CityCenter and elsewhere along the Strip is growing after a series of Sun investigative stories that found lax oversight by Nevada OSHA and, until now, disinterest among the labor unions in meeting with state safety officials and contractors to determine how safety lapses lead to construction fatalities.

As workers walked picket lines this morning, passing motorists honked their horns in apparent support. State Sen. Dina Titus, a Democrat who is running against Rep. Jon Porter, joined the picket lines late morning. Later, state Senate minority leader Steven Horsford briefly joined the picket line.

Ross sounded upbeat at an 11 a.m. press conference, held on a center median of the Strip across from CityCenter. He said there was no particular sticking point with Perini officials during their telephone conference call and that he expected some resolution later today.

Discussion: 2 comments so far...

  1. Eleven construction workers have died in the last 18 months
    at Strip construction sites including Six at the City Center

    HOW MANY MORE
    LAS VEGAS CONSTRUCTION WORKERS
    MUST DIE
    BEFORE OSHA WILL TAKE ACTION?

    It's Time To Bring Awareness
    to The Safety Issues at
    MGM Dubai World
    City Center Project
    and all other Las Vegas Construction Sites!

    In Solidarity the SPFPA has Now Joined
    The Fight to Bring Awareness to The Safety Issues
    Facing Unionized Construction Workers at Various Las Vegas Construction Sites.

    We Proudly Support Our Construction Trade Brothers and Sisters
    Together Maybe We Can Save a Construction Workers Life

    http://www.spfpalocal7777.org/SAFETYFIRS...

    MGM MIRAGE and Dubai World to Form Long-Term Strategic Relationship

    MGM MIRAGE and Dubai World have signed a definitive agreement for a $5.1 billion long-term joint venture, the companies announced today. Dubai World will invest approximately $2.7 billion in MGM MIRAGE's CityCenter (pictured) mixed-use in Las Vegas and up to $2.4 billion in up to 28.4 million shares of MGM Mirage stock, representing an approximate 9.5 percent stake in the company.

    The joint venture, CityCenter Holdings L.L.C., will be owned equally by MGM MIRAGE and Infinity World Development Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dubai World. Upon closing, the joint venture will own 100 percent of CityCenter, a self-contained "city within a city" that will include a 4,000-room resort casino, approximately 470,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space, 2,650 luxury condominium and condo-hotel units in multiple towers and two 400-room non-gaming boutique hotels, one which will be managed by hotelier Mandarin Oriental, upon its 2009 completion.

    In connection with the joint venture, Dubai World will initially contribute approximately $2.7 billion for 50 percent of the equity in the project, while MGM MIRAGE will contribute the CityCenter assets which both parties have mutually valued at $5.4 billion, and receive the other 50 percent of the equity in the project. If CityCenter is completed on budget and on schedule, MGM MIRAGE, which continues to serve as the project's developer, will receive additional consideration of $100 million. Upon the project's completion, the joint venture will pay MGM MIRAGE a management fee to operate the resort casino, the retail space and the Vdara condo-hotel tower.

    MGM MIRAGE and Dubai World met in May, when Dubai World chairman Sultan Bin Sulayem sat in on a meeting between MGM MIRAGE and Kerzner International Holdings on another project. Terry Lanni, chairman & CEO of MGM MIRAGE, then later met with Bin Sulayem, and joint venture discussions began.

    http://www.spfpalocal7777.org/MGMMIRAGEa...

  2. How many more???

    Maybe you should check out how many are drinking their lunch across the street at Planet Hollywood, and have no problem downing quite a few before having to head back on over and walk on steel beams.

    And YES, I have seen it with my OWN eyes.

    Safety starts first with the PERSON who wants to be safe.

    Stop blaming others for mistakes people make because they think THEY are invincible.

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