Frontier food feud heats up

Lynn Waddell

Thursday, Jan. 29, 1998 | 11:15 a.m.

Frontier Hotel General Manager Tom Elardi is calling Circus Circus' foodtruck support of striking Frontier workers a publicity stunt funded by the unions.

Elardi said he has not talked with Circus Circus Enterprises Chairman Bill Bennett, who provided a catering truck to feed picketing Frontier workers. But Elardi said he believes Circus Circus was paid by the union to provide the food.

"This honestly looks like another publicity stunt by the union," Elardi said. "They probably made some arrangement to pay Circus for it. I can't see a public company expending funds for something like that.

Tom Tomlinson, Circus Circus marketing director, said today the union is not paying Circus Circus to provide the food.

"Our action is summed up in the letter Mr. Bennett wrote to the union," Tomlinson said. "Mr. Elardi can respond any way he wants. If he has a problem with the union, maybe he should contact them."

Jim Arnold, secretary-treasurer for Culinary Local 226, called Elardi's suggestion "ridiculous."

"Mr. Bennet is a gentleman's gentleman," Arnold said "He believes in the working people. That's just a cheap shot."

Circus Circus began Thursday providing meals to picketing Frontier workers three times a day. The competing casino company adapted a pink and white catering truck to serve the workers.

Bennett, who is listed as one of America's 500 wealthiest people, has voiced support for the union throughout the strike.

In a letter to the unions this week, he said: "On numerous occasions I when I have driven past the Frontier on my way to and from work, I have witnessed the solidarity of the striking Frontier employees as they walk the picket line. We at Circus Circus share the frustration of the Frontier strikers at the length of the strike."

Bennett criticized the Frontier for refusing to provide the same benefits as other Strip resorts.

Elardi repeated Thursday he will not sign the union contract the larger Strip resorts, have signed.

"It is very difficult for publicly traded companies to get into a disagreement with the union," Elardi said as to why companies such as Circus Circus, Caesars and The Mirage have signed union contracts.

"They have a great concern for how it might affect stock pricing," he said "If you notice' the only people who balk at the union are individual owners. Our obligation is to ourselves, not our shareholders."

Elardi said he is willing to meet the union half way in negotiations, but doesn't think the union is cooperating.

"If they spent as much time trying to settle the strike as they do on media events like this (catering truck), then the strike could be over with," Elardi said.

Elardi has claimed for the past year and continues to claim the union hasn't provided health benefit information so he can compare it with other health plans.

The union, however, said it has provided the information. Elardi is using the health benefit controversy as an excuse, Arnold said.

"It's just a stall tactic," he said. "We don't agree on anything. Why doesn't he go ahead and talk about the other issues?"

Elardi also said the picketing of his property may be responsible for the lower gaming revenues on the Strip in recent months.

"You can make a comparison to how downtown revenues were down during the Binion's strike and how revenues are now down on the Strip," Elardi said. "It's obviously had an impact."