Las Vegas employers fire back at ‘Book of Shame’ publishers

Grace Leong

Tuesday, June 12, 2001 | 11:02 a.m.

Three Las Vegas employers listed in a "Nevada Book of Shame" published by labor and religious activists are firing back, calling the book a waste of money and a questionable union organizing tool.

But the union and religious officials behind the second annual edition of the book say it's effective in publicizing wrongdoing by employers against workers.

They say last year's edition helped force Jetstream Construction, a drywall installation company, to recognize the Nevada Carpenters Union.

The Book of Shame, organized by the AFL-CIO and the Nevada Interfaith Council for Worker Justice, lists employers that unions claim cheat workers on prevailing wages and illegally prevent employees from joining unions.

It says the best way to stop companies from violating labor laws -- until the law provides more effective remedies for illegal anti-union tactics -- is to stop doing business with them.

The release of the Book of Shame kicks off "7 Days in June," a series of organizing events. Some 1,000 copies of the book, actually a pamphlet, will go to regulators, unions and others.

But some companies named in the book disputed the allegations against them.

Jensen Precast said it's another attempt to "use coercive social and economic pressure" to force the company to recognize the union.

The precast concrete products maker said it is still being targeted by the Carpenters Union for resisting union organizing efforts, even after an administrative law judge for the National Labor Relations Board in March found Jensen didn't violate labor laws.

The Carpenters union alleged Jensen illegally threatened to terminate and subsequently fired five workers who participate in a strike in 1999 and allegedly offered large wages and bonuses to workers and promised to correct worker grievances if they agreed to stop supporting the union.

Tony Shanks, Jensen's vice president, said: "We are puzzled as to why we would be in the book. The judges have completely rejected the Carpenters' claims that Jensen Precast engaged in any unfair labor practices whatsoever. We've been completely exonerated and our labor law record is completely clean."

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which was added to the Book of Shame for resisting the United Food & Commercial Workers' organization attempts, dismissed the book as a "publicity stunt and questionable tactic" used to discredit the retailer and boost union membership.

The Bentonville, Ark., retail giant is accused of paying the majority of its workers poverty-level wages despite its size and profitability, flouting labor laws and abusing the court system.

But Jessica Moser, Wal-Mart's spokeswoman at corporate headquarters in Arkansas, disputed the charges.

"This so-called book of doom and gloom or 'black book' truly takes the cake. The UFCW can spend its time and money on these sorts of things if they want. They are the ones that will have to explain to their workers how they are spending their hard-earned dues."

Mike Slater, executive director of the Interfaith Council, said the book was formerly known as the "Nevada Employer Black Book," but was renamed the "Nevada Book of Shame" because of the "black book's" negative racial connotations.

He noted that since the book's inception, Jetstream Construction settled a dispute with the Carpenters over claims Jetstream demanded kickbacks from Hispanic workers.

"Wage violations filed by the Carpenters with the NLRB and the public attention generated by the Black Book also helped," said Carpenters organizer Daniel O'Shea.

Meanwhile, Precision Concrete Co., which was also named in the Book of Shame, said it's being targeted because of a failed attempt for an election by the Carpenters.

Precision was cited for more than 35 violations of Nevada's OSHA laws, of which 15 were serious, the union alleged.

But Chad Stewart, Precision's president, disputed the claims.

"One of the union's favorite tactics is to anonymously call OSHA and report false violations," he said.

Four other companies, Ark Las Vegas Restaurant Corp., (operator of restaurants in New York-New York hotel-casino), Davey Roofing, Gornowich Sand & Gravel Inc. and Hardy Painting & Drywall couldn't be reached for comment on their listings in the union book of shame.

"The Ark is named in this year's Book of Shame, because the company is continuing to expand in the Venetian and the Aladdin and we want the community to know what their mode of operation is," said Kevin Kline, the Culinary union's director of organizing.

Besides trying to organize Ark at New York-New York, the Culinary is trying to organize the non-union Venetian and Aladdin resorts.

The book notes Davey Roofing was sued by two former workers in March 2000. They claim it violated state wage laws by "promising to pay workers on a piece-rate wage for roofing work, but misrepresenting the amount of pieces worked" and withholding a portion of their wages.

But Thomas Kovacich, a Davey Roofing attorney, disputed the charges, saying the lawsuit was aimed at damaging the company because it refused to sign a collective bargaining agreement with the Roofers union.

The book said Gornowich was charged by the NLRB on May 30 to have illegally withheld wage increases and denied work opportunities to workers who were union supporters. The book said Hardy Painting was cited by OSHA for more than 42 violations of worker safety laws, of which nine were serious.

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