Despite few layoffs, workers feel fear

Gaming companies are cutting other costs first, predicting fast rebound

Tue, May 13, 2008 (2 a.m.)

MGM Mirage chief cites 'challenging quarter,' reports loss (5-06-2008)
Is Vegas recession-proof? (4-10-2008)
Tourism juggernaut shows signs of slowing down (4-07-2008)

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, thousands of hourly Strip workers were laid off as tourists stayed home, and profit at some casinos was halved. It took more than a year to recover.

Workers haven’t forgotten.

In the current economic downturn, casino companies are moving more cautiously. But workers worry the shoe is still going to drop.

• MGM Mirage has laid off more than 400 midlevel managers and reduced employees’ hours, but there have been no wholesale layoffs.

• Harrah’s Entertainment has laid off a few dozen people but says it hasn’t reduced individual workers’ hours.

• Steve Wynn, who is staffing up for Encore, has promised not to lay off workers at Wynn Las Vegas amid the downturn, saying it hurts morale.

• And the Venetian is hiring, not laying off, workers, executives boasted last week at an employees meeting.

One reason for such a measured response in the face of a possible recession is that companies expect the slowdown to be short-lived, and they don’t want to dismantle their ranks unnecessarily. The companies are shaving costs elsewhere. Also, even as consumers spend less money in casinos, hotel occupancy remains high, requiring hotels to maintain staffing levels.

Layoffs would be “difficult if they want to give the service they want to give,” said Terry Greenwald, secretary-treasurer of Bartenders and Beverage Union Local 165, sister union to Culinary Workers Union Local 226.

But workers nonetheless are glumly expecting layoffs because of dropping tourism or strategic, long-term cost-cutting.

“Everyone is terrified for their jobs,” said Shane Kaufmann, a dealer at Caesars Palace and a representative of Transport Workers Union Local 721, which has organized dealers there.

And employees worry that if their jobs aren’t cut, they will be worked harder than ever in a workplace that is shrinking from attrition.

“There’s a management style that’s all about discipline. It’s making the maid clean more rooms, making the barman serve more drinks and making the floorman supervise more games,” Kaufmann said.

MGM Mirage says it has reduced its payroll by the equivalent of 1,500 full-time positions, mostly through attrition.

Likewise, Harrah’s is employing 1,000 fewer people than a year ago, primarily because of attrition.

Both Harrah’s and MGM Mirage last week reported a 2 percent decline in first-quarter revenue compared with the same period a year earlier. Operating profit, before interest, taxes and certain other expenses, fell 10 percent for Harrah’s and 15 percent for MGM Mirage. MGM Mirage executives said they expected hotel revenue to decline in the second quarter but convention business to pick up slightly, though it will still be less than a year ago. Harrah’s Chief Executive Gary Loveman said last week business trends were mostly down but results had improved in some regions as casinos stole market share, cut expenses and upgraded.

“This thing is all over the place,” he said of mixed business trends.

Staffing their casinos and hotels at times like this is a dicey proposition for managers.

“You’ve got to be very fleet of foot to make sure you’ve got the right staffing levels in order to meet the needs of your guests,” MGM Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman said. “You don’t want to have staff waiting around for business that isn’t there.”

Both MGM Mirage and Harrah’s are continuing cost-cutting programs that were initiated before the economy went sour. The initiatives include seeking cost savings from individual properties and corporate departments.

“This really reflects a change in how we do business,” MGM Mirage President and Chief Operating Officer Jim Murren said. “Payroll is part of it. But there isn’t a company in our industry that hasn’t laid off people — regardless of what they say.”

The effort began in August, when the company anticipated economic turbulence. For Harrah’s, the move began in advance of taking the company private last year.

Casino companies — whose properties are expensive to maintain because of high fixed costs — are under more pressure to improve on record profits now that times are tough, Deutsche Bank stock analyst Bill Lerner said.

The Culinary Union is monitoring the cutbacks, though the number of actual layoffs, some of which aren’t normal for this time of year, isn’t alarming, said the union’s political director, Pilar Weiss.

Culinary contracts require that in times of layoffs, employees with the least seniority go first. They are then entitled to their old jobs, or equivalent shifts at sister properties, if the companies rebuild their staffs within a year. Workers who are laid off can also receive up to four months of health insurance coverage.

“Financially, everyone’s in a difficult position right now,” Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer D. Taylor said. “There are so many years in which this hasn’t occurred it seems like a new phenomenon.”

Employees at nonunion companies, as well as nonunion workers, would have to reapply for their jobs once they are let go, losing any seniority and accumulated benefits.

Station Casinos and Boyd Gaming Corp., which operate locals casinos that don’t have Culinary contracts, have laid off workers and reduced workers’ hours, but won’t say by how much. Station also has moved some full-time workers to part-time status, which made them ineligible for health insurance coverage.

“Our goal during the process was to keep as many people employed as possible, knowing that people would rather work part-time than be out of work,” Station spokeswoman Lori Nelson said. “As business volumes return, which they will, those people will get priority to return to full-time status.”

In some cases, companies aren’t calling in other workers when employees are sick or go on vacation and they haven’t yet filled many new server or bartender positions for the summer pool season, as normally expected this time of year, Greenwald said.

Discussion: 10 comments so far…

By ninemile

5/13/08 at 3:51 a.m.

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I hope the casinos are correct about a quick rebound for the economy; I don’t want to see the workers laid off. However I don’t think things will get better very soon, fuel is going up and I don’t think it is ever going to come back down. I don’t think our jobs will give us raises that will keep up with the rising cost of gas. Here’s another problem that will slow our recovery, we are a nation of consumers not a nation of producers. Where is our industry it overseas, we don’t make anything that other countries want to buy from us. So how are we going to recover?
By junjun

5/13/08 at 4:38 a.m.

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well its nice they are cutting other areas first. I do hope they are right about the quick rebound. Its looking pretty grim I think.

JJ
http://www.Ultimate-Anonymity.com
By SPFPAUNIONYES

5/13/08 at 6:50 a.m.

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Even as gamblers, shoppers and diners are clutching to their dollars and Las Vegas reels from the worst economic slowdown since Sept. 11, MGM Mirage is spending billions of dollars on itself.

The spree includes more than $1 billion to buy back company stock, plus another billion on new projects and upgrades.
This comes as MGM Mirage is building its $8 billion-plus CityCenter and now MGM Mirage and Dubai World have now formed a long term strategic relationship.

http://www.spfpalocal7777.org/MGMMIRAGEa...

What most people don’t know is that MGM Mirage is also spending MILLIONS of Dollars on UNION – BUSTERS in their attempt to instill FEAR, and Intimidation tactics in their attempt to defeat their Casino Security Officers working at Mandalay Bay, Luxor and now Mirage from joining a UNION, the International Union, Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America, (SPFPA).

Martin Jay Levitt, 1993, Confessions of a Union Buster said it best when he stated:

“Union busting is a field populated by bullies and built on deceit. A campaign against a union is an assault on individuals and a war on truth. As such, it is a war without honor. The only way to bust a union is to lie, distort, manipulate, threaten, and always, always attack.”
The irony of union busters is that management is extremely fearful of “losing control” of the workplace and sharing power with its workforce in the form of a union. Yet they happily hand over control of the workplace to the union busters they hire who do exactly that—directing the entire campaign and in effect taking control of the workplace by telling management and supervisors what to say, what to do and how to act. The money that management squanders on these union busters would be much better spent on dealing with the real workplace issues.
By SPFPAUNIONYES

5/13/08 at 6:51 a.m.

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While MGM Mirage continues to spend endless money on new projects and Millions of Dollars on UNION - BUSTING activities MGM Mirage disregard for its employees Rights and Job security is clearly shown with the layoff of more than 440 midlevel managers and reduction of employees' hours, and the reduction of its payroll by the equivalent of 1,500 full-time positions, mostly through attrition.
As the recession will now effect all of us the Culinary Union gives the perfect example why every Las Vegas Casino Security Officer and Dealer should unionize

"Culinary contracts require that in times of layoffs, employees with the least seniority go first. They are then entitled to their old jobs, or equivalent shifts at sister properties, if the companies rebuild their staffs within a year. Workers who are laid off can also receive up to four months of health insurance coverage.

Employees at nonunion companies, as well as nonunion workers, would have to reapply for their jobs once they are let go, losing any seniority and accumulated benefits."
JOB SECURITY IS KNOWING YOU HAVE A UNION CONTRACT PROTECTING YOUR RIGHTS and KNOWING YOU HAVE A GOOD UNION LIKE THE SPFPA LOCAL 7777 and TWU DEALEARS LOCAL 721 TO ENFORCE IT!

http://www.spfpalocal7777.org
By reader

5/13/08 at 11:58 a.m.

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Wow; I guess when you are doing as badly as the Unions are these days you need any soap box to try to get your propaganda across, but what a sad state that in times like these, when people are fighting to keep there heads above water, the dues eating machine couldn't care less about anything but the process of making money for itself.
By gsagrans

5/13/08 at 1:34 p.m.

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When I saw these comments about the "value" of a union I just had to register to send this post. A union essentially has 2 functions: 1. To make sure workers are under worked AND 2. To make sure workers are over paid. Unions lost their value over a hundred years ago. It is because of unions (and incredibly over paid executives) that companies buy from overseas. I liken the unions to religous cults. Good honest working people pay money into an organization and receive few benefits. Well, at least the union chiefs do alright.
By SPFPAUNIONYES

5/13/08 at 2:13 p.m.

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Lanni last year: $9.6M in compensation, $12.6M in stock options
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 e value of stock options and awards, MGM Mirage Chief Executive Terry Lanni e ... ds, MGM Mirage Chief Executive Terry Lanni earned $9.6 million in compensation ... e Terry Lanni earned $9.6 million in compensation last year. That figure includes a sa ... ry of $2 million and incentive-based compensation of $6.4 million, according to the co ...

http://lasvegassun.com/blogs/gaming/2008...

Compensation soars for casino executives
Monday, June 7, 2004
lars' worth of stock options boosted compensation for casino executives to record high ... lars' worth of stock options boosted compensation for casino executives to record high ... the list with $46.8 million in total compensation apiece, according to an analysis of ... ccording to an analysis of executive compensation by In Business Las Vegas, a sister p ...

http://lasvegassun.com/news/2004/jun/07/...
By SPFPAUNIONYES

5/13/08 at 2:24 p.m.

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Promises Vs. A Union Contract

MGM Grand Detroits SPFPA Union Contract

http://www.spfpa.org/mgm-detroit.pdf

Greektown Casino's SPFPA Union Contract

http://www.spfpa.org/greektown-detroit.p...

Imagine If The MGM MIRAGE Casino Security Officers working in Las Vegas Received the Above Union Benefits including a 401 K Plan with MGM MIRAGE Contributing up to .70 Cents Per Hour for retirement benefits, Job Security, Grievance and Arbitration Rights and much much more!
By chapala

5/13/08 at 3:34 p.m.

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For those of you bashing unions, apparently you forgot that Nevada is a Right to Work state and that union dues are VOLUNTARY. So that crap about money is all the union is after is just that--crap. Security has no protection and this company doesn't care about their workers. When management continues to get bonus after bonus and the people who are on the front line get nothing, something is seriously wrong. Open your eyes, smell the roses, or have a V8, just wake up and vote UNION YES!!!!!!!!!!!
By andy4unow

5/14/08 at 6:05 p.m.

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No on Unions.