Culinary braces for strike

Lynn Waddell

Thursday, Jan. 29, 1998 | 9:14 a.m.

First published on Aug. 9, 1991.

Culinary workers are saying they are ready for a long bitter strike with the Frontier Hotel, where they claim pensions have been cut and union employees harassed.

"This is going to be worse than Binion's (strike)," said Patricia Trujillo, a member of the union's negotiating committee. "People were getting so mad last night when they heard the Frontier's lawyer talk that they were ready to strike right then."

Culinary Local 226 held a news conference Thursday announcing that its 45-member negotiating committee unanimously voted to strike the family-owned Strip resort. A strike will not go into effect until it has been voted on by all Culinary members. No date has been set for such a vote.

Union members have continued working at the property even though its contract expired in 1989. All the other Strip properties have signed contracts with the union.

The Elardi family, which owns the hotel, has refused to comment on the situation.

The union has filed numerous charges against the Frontier with the National Labor Relations Board echoing its major gripes. The core of the complaint is that the hotel stopped paying into the union pension plan.

"This is probably the biggest single problem," said Richard McCracken, a lawyer for the union. "Many people are not going to get their pension. All those people who are nearing the age to draw will not unless it is reinstated."

Without warning, the Frontier stopped making payments to the pension fund in July 1990, the union said. The Culinary now wants back payments of nearly $1 million and the pension policy to be reinstated.

"I'm getting closer to retirement, and I don't know what I will do," said Willfred Bermudez, a waiter at the Frontier for 17 years. "Hopefully, the court will reverse it."

The Culinary has also charged that management unilaterally changed wages and hours without negotiating and wouldn't allow union business agents access to the hotel.

Joel Keiler, a Washington, D.C., lawyer representing the Frontier, said Wednesday that the union agents were doing things they were not authorized to do in the expired 1989 contract.

Michael Chavez, the NLRB's acting resident officer, said the labor board found merit in the Culinary charges and filed a complaint with an administrative law judge.

The case has been heard, but there has not been a ruling, he said.

If the Culinary wins its case, the Frontier could be forced to negotiate with the union, Chavez said.

The hotel and union unsuccessfully attempted negotiations Wednesday for the first time since talks broke down in 1989. The hotel implemented its final offer in 1989 even though it was not accepted.

Members of the Frontier Culinary negotiating committee met with Keiler Wednesday night after a demonstration in front of the hotel.

Keiler told union members that the hotel wants to eliminate their pension fund so it could save money, negotiating committee members said.

Union employees and officials said they do not want to strike, but they want a contract with a pension plan.

"All we want is a contract like the rest of the Strip hotels have" Culinary worker Lilo Distleo said.

"If the union allowed--one member to break the contract, then all the contracts will be jeopardized in 1994, when they come up for renewal," said John Wilhelm, vice president of the Culinary's international union.

Other labor organizations, such as the Gaming Employees Association, are planning to assist if-the Culinary strikes. Ron Taylor, executive director of the GEA, said Thursday that dealers recently laid off from the Frontier would participate in a strike.

"We want to have every dealer that was fired out there on-the picket line," Taylor said. Culinary employees said they have lived in fear of being fired in recent months because of the tension between management and the union.

Two fired employees said they felt it was because they were in the Culinary union. Wanda Matthews, a former employee of 28 years, filed a complaint with the NLRB because she was dismissed after she appeared on a television news show talking about the union contract.