Culinary says MGM proposal final offer

Thursday, Nov. 13, 1997 | 11:02 a.m.

Today's ratification vote on a contract between the Culinary Union and the MGM Grand is a winner-take-all proposition.

Culinary Union Executive Director Jim Arnold said the contract that about 3,100 employees of the hotel will have a chance to vote on is the final offer by the company.

If it is not ratified, there will be no more negotiations.

Arnold said contrary to what union opponents are saying, the ratification vote has nothing to do with whether the Culinary Union will represent the employees.

The union is the representative regardless of the vote.

Arnold said today's voting procedure has been meticulously thought out for the safety of voters who will cast their ballots at the union hall at 1630 Commerce St.

The first opportunity to vote will be at 11 a.m., the time which is expected to see the heaviest turnout. Voters also may cast their ballots at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Arnold said these steps have been taken for today's vote:

* Extra security will be on hand.

* The parking lots will be well lighted.

* An arbitrator, and several clergy will monitor the voting and vote counting.

* Child care will be available.

* There will be a room for non-employees to stay while their spouses are voting.

* Special rooms with TV monitors will be used to accommodate overflow crowds.

Arnold said vote counting may be finished as early as 9 or 9:30 p.m.

Before each voting session, employees will hear about 90 minutes of explanation concerning the 60-page contract.

"We believe once the anti-union people hear what we have in the contract, they will vote for it," said Arnold, emphasizing that everything workers had before they will retain and get more. "It is a plus-plus, win-win contract."

For example, he said, "flex time," the flexible way of taking vacation at the hotel, has been kept, a concern many employees had.

Arnold said he believes a small group of opponents of the union, who have become increasingly vocal as the contract negotiations have continued for almost a year, are being supported financially by outside interests.

The union executive said he doubts that the employees who hired attorney Greg Smith, whom he described as a union buster, can afford his rate of $200 to $300 an hour -- which leads him to believe someone behind the scenes is footing the bill.

Four hotel employees, who were among about 50 rank and file members of the negotiating team, discussed issues related to the conflict surrounding the unionizing of the company.

All of them said anti-union activists are wrong when they say the majority of the employees oppose the union.

"This thing is not a vote against the union," said Maricelle Garcia, who works in the housekeeping department.

Bruce Esgar, an MGM hotel porter, has been the most vocal of the anti-union group.

Esgar maintains some 1,700 employees don't want the union.

The negotiators said most people will like the contract when they understand it.

Mary Downey, who works in the same porter department as Esgar, said the negative people are only interested in how much they are going to get.

"They don't see the big picture," she said. "If they don't have a job, then they have nothing."

Bernard Correl, a cook, said there is a small group of opponents who are going to bash the union and the contract no matter what.

"To side with the corporate side and against the labor movement is to me un-American," said Correl. "It is mind-boggling."

archive