Carpenters file new charges against Mirage, resort continues to insist on an election

David Strow

Monday, Oct. 30, 2000 | 11:02 a.m.

As an effort to organize the carpenters at the Mirage hotel-casino enters its eighth month, the union and the hotel-casino remain at loggerheads, with the union claiming that the Mirage is continuing to retaliate against employees that support a union.

But the Mirage claims these charges are being made solely to delay an election the hotel claims the union is bound to lose.

On Friday, members of the Nevada Carpenters Union protested again outside of the Mirage. The union, which has already filed charges against the Mirage with the National Labor Relations Board, claims Mirage management suspended one of the leaders of the Mirage organizing effort last week without explanation.

Lenny Taylor, organizing representative with the union, also claimed the Mirage is giving preference in overtime work to those carpenters not supporting a union. He said the union will file charges on both overtime practices and the suspension.

"We continue to file charges for labor practices," Taylor said. "We allege they keep breaking the law."

An NLRB hearing is set for Dec. 5 to hear charges that the Mirage interrogated, threatened and retaliated against employees who supported the organizing effort. The union is asking the NLRB for an order that would compel the Mirage to recognize the union without an election. The union says it has received signatures from a majority of the Mirage carpenters.

But the Mirage and its parent company, MGM MIRAGE, remain adamant that an election is the only way they'll recognize the union. And an election can't happen until the NLRB charges are resolved.

"If they want an election, they need to step out of the way and let it happen," said MGM MIRAGE spokesman Alan Feldman. "We would support an election if they'd stop throwing up delay tactics, because they're clearly afraid that they would not win an election."

Feldman said he could not address specific employee-related issues, but said that "the Carpenters Union is clearly very committed to gameplaying and not very committed to representing the interests of anyone but the union."

Because of the difficulty of the Mirage organizing battle, Taylor said there are no plans to launch an organizing effort at any other Strip properties in the near future.

"We need to take care of this one first," Taylor said. "We want to represent all carpenters everywhere, but we have to take it one step at a time."