Poor conditions for Strip housekeepers charged

Timothy Pratt and Jeff German

Thursday, April 4, 2002 | 9:25 a.m.

More than 2,000 Culinary Union members jammed Cashman Center Wednesday night for a rally to highlight "horrendous" working conditions for about 10,000 housekeepers on the Strip.

A union-produced documentary on the plight of the housekeepers was shown at the rally as part of the union's effort to set the stage for upcoming contract negotiations with the hotel industry.

About two dozen elected leaders -- including Gov. Kenny Guinn, Rep. Shelley Berkley, Mayor Oscar Goodman and County Commission Chairman Dario Herrera -- were on hand to support the housekeepers, the majority of whom are Hispanic women.

"I hope the hotels understand now that this is a genuine issue," Culinary Political Director Glen Arnodo said this morning. "There is a real depth of feeling among these 10,000 housekeepers that they've been pushed to the limit and that things have to change and they have to change now."

Five-year collective bargaining agreements with 36 Las Vegas hotels expire on May 31, and talks are expected to get under way Wednesday. The union has scheduled talks with the Tropicana and the five Park Place Entertainment properties.

Arnodo said housekeepers make up the largest job classification in the 50,000-member Culinary Union, but their demands have not come up in past contract talks.

"The situation for the housekeepers has gotten progressively worse in recent years, and we feel it's important for the community to know this," Arnodo said.

The main issue for the housekeepers is they are being asked to do more work in the same amount of time, he said, citing a room quota that has risen in recent years.

"Though the quota varies from property to property, the housekeepers are being asked to do more rooms all the time," Arnodo said. "It's gotten to the point where they are not taking lunch breaks and don't report injuries for fear of not finishing their work.

"It's almost like the gaming industry version of the assembly line."

Mike Sloan, general counsel for Mandalay Resort Group, which will participate in the contract talks, said he's heard the union float such complaints in the past.

"But I'm unaware of that being an issue at our company at all," he said. "I think Las Vegas continues to be one of the few places in America where a housekeeper can make a living, raise a family and provide her family with state-of-the-art health-care benefits.

Arnodo, however, said workers feel they are being taken advantage of, because many of them are recent immigrants, mostly from Latin America.

He said he was optimistic about improving conditions for housekeepers in the upcoming negotiations.

"But this issue will be a test case for other departments during negotiations, and the proof of a good working relationship is reaching agreement over difficult issues," he said.

Sloan said he was confident both sides would reach a deal before the May 31 deadline.