Event targets ‘anti-unionism’ of hotel-casino restaurants

Thursday, May 14, 1998 | 10:11 a.m.

An estimated 200 demonstrators -- some members of the Culinary Union and some local religious leaders -- were expected to take part in "non-violent civil disobedience" inside the New York-New York hotel-casino this morning.

Union spokesman Kevin Kline said the purpose of the demonstration is to draw attention to "highlight the injustices and abuse and anti-unionism" of Ark Restaurants.

Kline said participants in the demonstration are prepared to be arrested, if necessary.

Activities against Ark, which has a contract to operate the eating establishments inside New York-New York, have begun to pick up since the union filed a number of grievances against the New York City-based company last summer.

Kline said once the Frontier hotel-casino strike was settled, as it was after a Kansas businessman bought the Strip property last year, the Ark people could expect more activity directed against them.

In January AFL-CIO President John Sweeney led a group of employees, allegedly fired by Ark Restaurant, into the New York-New York hotel-casino and demanded the workers be given back their jobs.

Ark operates non-union restaurants in cities around the country.

Culinary Union organizers have attempted to gain union recognition by Ark.

Ark Las Vegas, which has about 900 employees, runs three restaurants, a fast food court, the employee dining room, banquet facilities and room service for New York-New York.

In March 1997, hotel management was notified that unionizing activities were getting under way and in a letter listed 50 employees who would be involved in organizing activities.

Almost as quickly as Ark employees began formal steps to organize a union, the company began firing activists, according to a Culinary Union spokesman.

Dave Shafer, a former line cook for Ark, said the company is a "revolving door."

Hundreds of people have been fired since Ark contracted to operate restaurants inside New York-New York hotel-casino in January 1997.

At a National Labor Relations Board hearing in October Michael Taylor, attorney for Ark, said 300 had been fired but denied there was any connection between the firings and union activism.

Ark management refuses to recognize a card check vote by employees in April 1997, which indicated 80 percent of the workers wanted to be represented in negotiations by the Culinary Union.

Taylor said Ark will negotiate when a vote by secret ballot is taken.

Ark's Gordon has said the company does not oppose a union. He said he wants labor organizers to call for an election rather than rely on the signed union cards of a majority of employees.

"We won't oppose it and we'll abide by the results," Gordon said when the union question was first raised. "I think we're trying to be as fair an employer as we can ... (but) I guess they're going to claim everything we do is demonic.

"We believe in the right of the employees to choose how they wish to be represented, but we would like to see an election done with secret ballots. If they have as many (union supporters) as they claim, then it will show."