Frontier, unions will talk

Lynn Waddell

Thursday, Jan. 29, 1998 | 11:32 a.m.

Striking unions and the Frontier Hotel are planning to return to the negotiating table on June 3, said Frontier General Manager Tom Elardi.

Management and the four striking unions have not discussed contracts since before the strike began in September. About 550 union members have been picketing the casino since.

Elardi said Wednesday that he's been willing to talk with the unions, but wasn't approached until recently.

"I think this a major step that they finally called me," Elardi said. "Before, they have always said, 'Sign, sell or shut down.'

"I'm hopeful that we can accomplish something at the June 3 meeting. It's a pretty major breakthrough that they called us."

Jim Arnold, secretarytreasurer of Culinary Union Local 226, said Elardi's remarks that the unions wouldn't negotiate were a "a cheap shot."

"I've had an open door all along," Arnold said. "We had no negotiations prior to the strike."

Arnold said he called Elardi last week after being told by a mutual friend that the hotel was willing to negotiate. Since then, negotiations have been set for 3 p.m. June 3 at the Desert Inn Hotel.

Arnold said he's going into l the negotiations with a positive attitude.

"I'm hoping to get this resolved for the workers and the whole community," Arnold said. "The only way things will ever get resolved is by talking."

The Elardi family bought the Frontier in 1989 and union contracts were already in place. When those contracts expired) they were not renewed. Union: workers continued to work for the Strip resort more than a year after the contracts expired.

Elardi refused to say how the bitter strike has affected his casino business.