Culinary sees hope downtown

Monday, June 3, 2002 | 11:10 a.m.

Culinary Union leaders are looking at Thursday's vote to ratify contracts at 18 major Strip resorts as a way to keep pressure on downtown hotels reluctant to accept similar deals.

"There's no question the members are going to ratify the contract overwhelmingly," Glen Arnodo, the union's political director, said this morning.

"This is more an organizational meeting to keep our members tied into the fight downtown."

Arnodo said union leaders will be encouraging members from the Strip resorts Thursday to sign up for picket duty downtown should contracts not be reached by the extended July 1 strike deadline.

"We have a ton of work to do to make sure that our workers understand that we're all in this together," added D. Taylor, who will be sworn in Tuesday as the union's new secretary-treasurer.

Workers at 17 casinos owned by the "Big Four" Strip resorts -- Park Place Entertainment, Harrah's Entertainment, Mandalay Resort Group and MGM MIRAGE and the Tropicana -- will get a chance to voice their approval on a new five-year deal that gives them their largest ever increase in wages and benefits. The union also negotiated a contract extension for the Rio, which is owned by Harrah's.

The ratification meeting takes place at the Cashman Center in two shifts, one at 10 a.m. and another at 6 p.m.

The five-year deal, which provides for nearly a $3.24 hourly increase in wages and benefits, covers 75 percent of the union's 50,000 members. A major portion of the increase goes to the union's $300 million health and welfare fund to protect free medical insurance.

Last week the union extended its strike deadline one month to provide for more time to negotiate with 17 casinos, mostly from downtown, which don't have tentative contract agreements.

Several of the downtown hotels appear far apart with the union on the economic issues.

Attorney Gregory Kamer -- who represents Binion's Horseshoe, Four Queens, Fitzgerald's, Union Plaza, Las Vegas Club, El Cortez and the Western -- said last week that his clients can't afford the Strip deal.

Kamer plans to make a presentation Friday to union negotiating committees at the seven downtown hotels, showing why his clients are in poorer financial shape than their Strip counterparts.

The union returns to the bargaining table today with the Stratosphere, and on Wednesday is scheduled to meet with the Riviera.