Suit targets Casino Royale picketers

Bill Gang

Thursday, Jan. 29, 1998 | 12:02 p.m.

First published March 18, 1992.

A District Court lawsuit has been filed in an attempt to limit what has been termed illegal labor union picketing outside,the Casino Royale on the Strip.

Picketers in the 2.5-month-old strike are alleged in the lawsuit to have been blockading entrances and intimidating employees and patrons

The lawsuit, filed by attorney Steven Cohen, also names county and state officials bemuse picketers have erected a plywood shack on the sidewalk in front of the resort at 3411 Las Vegas Blvd. South without building permits.

Named in the lawsuit, in addition to the county and state, are Culinary Union 226, Bartenders Union 165, the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union and several Las Vegas labor leaders.

The court is being asked to order the shack removed or force county and state officials to issue citations because of construction.

Additionally, the resort owned by Frontier Hotel executive Tom Elardi - is seeking a ruling keeping picketers away from the entrances and from spreading nails or other sharp objects in the driveways.

Bullhorns and other sound amplified devices are also mentioned in the lawsuit as being of such volume "as to endanger the health and well being" of would-be patrons

Picketers, according to the lawsuit have "perpetrated acts of violence ... destruction and malicious mischief." The business will suffer irreparable harm if the picketers are not controlled, the lawsuit states.

Scott MacKenzie, political coordinator of Culinary Union Local 226, denied the suit's allegations.

"That's a propaganda deal," he said referring to such wording in the suit as shack violence, destruction and mischief.

"We are conducting legal informational picketing to let people know the Casino Royale is not union. We are not intimidating anybody Our actions will stand up to any kind of scrutiny or court challenge because our people conduct themselves within the law."

SUN REPORTER David Clayton contributed to this story.