Frontier strikers to celebrate a hard three years

Lynn Waddell

Friday, Jan. 30, 1998 | 9:43 a.m.

It's been three years since union Frontier hotel-casino workers walked off the job and began picketing the Strip resort, and there's no end in sight.

But that's not stopping the unions from celebrating the strike anniversary.

"Though the hardships faced by the Frontier strikers and their families cannot be put into words, we will be celebrating the tremendous strength of these workers in the face of overwhelming injustice," said Jim Arnold, Culinary Local 226 secretary-treasurer.

The striking unions have a permit to block Fashion Show Drive for a street party from 6 to 10 tonight. Labor folk singer Ann Feeney is to perform while strikers and other union members enjoy a potluck dinner.

The commemoration is only one of dozens the unions have held outside the Frontier in the past three years. National labor leaders, presidential candidates and a host of state politicians have supported the striking workers there since the dispute began.

However, not all events outside the hotel have instilled pride in the union members. A melee in 1993 involving strikers and two California tourists was captured on videotape and later broadcast nationally. Seven strikers were convicted for the attack.

Frontier General Manager Tom Elardi didn't respond to requests for interviews about the ongoing strike.

Joe Daugherty, Culinary organizer, said tonight's event is meant to celebrate the persistence of the workers.

"This is being done more to celebrate all the stuff the strikers have done," Daugherty said. "We don't see it as a sad event, by the fact that people have stuck out there. We still have about 300 people on the picket line. No one has crossed the line and gone back to work."

About 550 Frontier workers began striking after contract negotiations with management repeatedly failed. About 290 strikers continue to picket at least part time outside the casino.

Since the strike began, Gov. Bob Miller and other officials have made pleas for negotiations. The state hired a fact finder to assist in negotiations, but even that failed to resolve the strike. The last negotiations were in September 1993.

Initially, the big disagreement concerned health benefits. The Elardis did not want to contribute to the union's health and welfare fund. However, the union finally agreed to that, but management then refused to allow more than 100 strikers to return, claiming they misbehaved on the picket line.