LABOR:

Another union seeks Culinary’s right to organize Strip workers

Sunday, April 26, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Unions clash as card check lies in wait (3-4-2009)
Culinary parent union Unite Here to remain unified (2-9-2009)
Big union reels as card-check fights loom (1-29-2009)
Nobody wins: Second vote leaves nurses divided, unions' fight unresolved (12-5-2008)
Toxic feud at SEIU's top ends with resignations (6-28-2008)

A month ago, when labor leader Andy Stern was drumming up excitement over a nationwide campaign to organize hotel and casino workers, he said his union wouldn’t set up shop on the Strip.

This was, after all, Culinary country.

“We are certainly not intending to go raid anybody,” Stern said at the time. “We don’t think there’s a need in Las Vegas for another union to represent the hospitality workers that are there.”

That was then.

An affiliate of his Service Employees International Union is now knocking on doors. It wants in.

The affiliate, called Workers United, sent letters this month to gaming companies in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, asking for the same organizing rights afforded the Culinary and its parent union, Unite Here. Letters were also sent to hospitality and food service companies across the country where Unite Here represents workers.

The action is the latest chapter in the escalating rivalry between two of the nation’s most progressive unions, with the hotel workers union accusing the service workers of attempting to cut into Unite Here membership and turf.

Some background:

In 2004, the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees, known as Unite, and the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union, known as Here, merged into one union. But over the past six months the factions have been engaged in a nasty power struggle over the direction the union.

Former Unite officials called the merger a failure and encouraged former Unite members to break away, while former Here officials argued that both sides are stronger together as they struggled to keep the merger intact.

The SEIU’s Stern promoted the division by inviting either or both sides of Unite Here to simply join the SEIU. Last month at a weekend meeting in Philadelphia, delegates representing 150,000 of Unite Here’s 400,000 members announced they were splitting away and, calling themselves Workers United, joined the SEIU.

This month, the Nevada AFL-CIO, of which the Culinary is a member, adopted a resolution condemning Stern and the SEIU for, among other things, “claiming organizing jurisdiction over hotels, gaming and hospitality, which is (Culinary) territory.” The resolution told him to back off.

In Las Vegas, Culinary leaders lashed out at the SEIU, telling its own members:

“In these difficult times, the last thing we need is another union trying to divide us and weaken us. Unfortunately, the SEIU is using the tactics of anti-union employers to further their goal of taking over your union.”

Culinary Secretary-Treasurer D. Taylor said members in Las Vegas and Atlantic City had recently received mailers and robo-calls promoting secession. He made no distinction between the SEIU and Workers United.

“They are clearly trying to divide workers in order to do a raid and a takeover,” Taylor said. “Obviously they don’t care about the benefits of the workers.”

Workers United spokeswoman Amanda Cooper vigorously denied the Culinary’s claims, saying the letter was simply part of the “due diligence” involved in establishing a new union.

“This is just a process we went through to let people know we’re open and we’re representing people,” Cooper said. “Workers United is interested in organizing unorganized workers. The point of the letter is to find out about organizing rights for workers that don’t have a union.”

She said Workers United would not compete for Culinary members.

But the letter says differently. In it, Workers United President Edgar Romney asks casino operators to sign agreements identical to the ones afforded the Culinary, which allows card-check organizing without management interference.

But that agreement also explicitly defines which job classifications are subject to organizing. By extending that agreement to Workers United, it would seem to put the two unions in direct competition for new members.

That competition could play out with the opening of MGM Mirage’s CityCenter, if the company grants the SEIU affiliate’s request.

The Culinary secured immediate organizing rights for half of the development’s 12,000 employees in its contract talks two years ago.

Under labor law, Workers United could also make a play for Atlantic City workers this year because their contract expires in September.

Cooper denied any attempt to raid the Culinary and its Unite Here affiliates.

“There is no plan for Workers United now or in the future to take existing Culinary members,” she said. “Our concern is for unorganized workers.”

Representatives of MGM Mirage and Harrah’s Entertainment said their labor attorneys are reviewing the SEIU affiliate’s letter.

But with the Culinary’s long history of labor relations with Strip resorts, operators might be reluctant to welcome a new player.

“The rights that the Culinary has have been developed through four decades of bargaining,” MGM Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman said. “We, along with the union, have bargained very hard to create a relationship that benefits both of us.”

Discussion: 14 comments so far…

By CynicalObserver

4/26/09 at 4:28 a.m.

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In 1970 my spouse's employer lost a labor election, forcing all employees to join SEIU. Our net gain in monthly income: Zero. Our net loss: SEIU Union dues.

Fast forward to 2003: An LA area Catholic religious order institution lost a labor election, forcing all secular employees to join SEIU. The employees net gain in monthly income: Zero. The employees net loss: SEIU Union dues.

In neither case did working conditions for the employees improve either. In fact, the work environment became more hostile.

Point proved: Not much has changed with SEIU in 33+ years.

Why is this union still in existence?
By Galfromvegas

4/26/09 at 7:34 a.m.

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Stern and Co. need to STFU. Culinary 226 might not be loved by all, but they've done more for workers in this town than Stern and his crowd have by far. If it's a war Stern wants, the grassroots and progressives will throw down with Culinary.
By narkcop

4/26/09 at 7:55 a.m.

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SEIU should be organizing State workers. They wouldn't get this much flack if they simply picked the right group. Besides, state workers are stuck with those SNEA-za / AFSCME Local 4041. They can be reached at 867-5309 "The Management Union".
By neiman1

4/26/09 at 8:12 a.m.

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The political union (SEIU) is devouring workers unions nation wide. They bought and paid for this President and now they are taking back. With their sub group ACORN they plan to CHANGE America. All they have to do is HOPE and use their muscle.
By Lupo

4/26/09 at 8:17 a.m.

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To Cynical... when you lament the "losses" to SEIU it seems the losing party was the employer (and it was the workers who chose to join SEIU). Too bad the bosses "lost" when workers decided they wanted and needed a union! And with all due respect, I just don't believe any SEIU member has worked 33 years without a "net increase". Sorry, Cynic, but this sounds like a PR jab by an anti-union hack to me.

This union is "still in existence" beacause it has organized over a million workers in the last 15 years (more than doubling in size) during the same period of time that the rest of the labor movement has lost numbers and power. They have also achieved the highest standards of wages, benefits and worker rights for hundreds of thousands of thier members in key industries (like building service workers, health care workers and public sector employees). Talk to one of the nursing home workers, janitors, or food service workers who have free health care, full pensions and hourly wages that are as much as double the national average about why that union still exists. SEIU may have its fair share of problems (and I have my own concerns and criticisms of them as well), but they are by far the most sucessful and powerful union in the country and they have delivered for thier members. Anyone who tries to argue otherwise is either misinformed or just plain dishonest.
By PaulG

4/26/09 at 1:13 p.m.

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Just what workers--and the labor movement--need! Another round of intra-union name-calling, finger-pointing, and outlay of energy to organize the organized! All that inspiring talk, but always back to the same-old, same-old. What a shame!
By LasVegas2009

4/26/09 at 3:23 p.m.

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With more than one choice in Unions to choose from I think the workers in this town will have the upper hand over management. They now have two unions fighting for there rights. I know culinary has done a lot but with a little competition they may do even more for members. Wow the union business is so good they got other unions moving in to get a piece of the pie. At least something in Vegas is doing well.
By SMART_Organizer

4/26/09 at 7:14 p.m.

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The Stern Faction Coup, Part 1

A growing number of area and state labor councils are adopting resolutions condemning the unethical (indeed, anti-union) attack upon the UNITE HERE union by SEIU.

People need to know, however, that it is not all of SEIU that is responsible for the attack. SEIU has suffered something similar to a coup, by the faction that is led by Andy Stern. Virtually all of the SEIU International Executive Board members are hand-picked Stern supporters, rubber stamped into office at the massively rigged 2008 SEIU Convention. The rigging has to do with a loophole in federal law which allows an international union to appoint (instead of the membership electing) the leadership of locals for up to 3 years after the merger of 2 or more locals. The appointed local leaders, in turn, exploit their position as incumbents to make sure they get delegate seats at the SEIU Convention. The result: Stern packed the house with his appointees.

The Stern faction has abused this merger loophole with a vengence, to the extent that in California we now how about 80% of the membership in SEIU locals being run by Stern's hand-picked cronies, instead of run by leaders the members elected and trust. About 1/3 of SEIU's total membership is in California. In most of these cases, the members did not even vote on a local by local basis to approve the mergers. For example, in 2006, in California, members of 24 public sector locals were forced to accept the results of a statewide SEIU referendum, in which about only 18% of the total membership voted, and nothing even close to a majority of the membership of any of the 24 locals voted. But about 86% of those voting approved a vague plan to do mergers. SEIU pumped oodles of members' dues money into slick "vote yes" campaign mailers to all the affected members. There was nothing remotely resembling a fair and impartial voter information pamphlet (with pro and con statements). This corruption was hailed by the Stern faction as a "victory".

The situation in other states and provinces in the U.S. and Canada is very similar.
By SMART_Organizer

4/26/09 at 7:20 p.m.

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The Stern Faction Coup, Part 2

Members of SEIU are fighting back against the Stern faction coup. A movement for democratic reform of the union, and to clean up the corruption, has been growing. There are 2 basic approaches: (1) campaigns to get out of SEIU and switch unions and (2) campaigns to enact sweeping democratic reforms within the union.

Some locals, and groups within locals, are breaking off from SEIU. The National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) http://www.nuhw.org/ and the San Diego Probation Officers Association http://www.sdcpoa.org/ and the California's Civil Service Professionals Union (CCSPU)
http://www.dumpseiu.com/qa.htm are only a few examples of the current "dump SEIU" efforts. Their websites are rich in scathing critique of the corruption in SEIU and rich in passionate explanations of the value of strong and democratic unions.

For those working inside SEIU to clean house, many locals have their own independent reform caucuses. Several of these have websites listed at http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/R.... Reform groups won elections in California's Santa Clara County and Monterey County, in December.

The elected leadership of SEIU Local 87, in San Francisco, has supported the San Francisco Labor Council's resolution condemning the SEIU raid against UNITE HERE. The text of that resolution, and a related one to support SEIU locals which speak out against the Stern faction's drive to turn SEIU into "Serving Employers Instead of Us" can be read at the SF Labor Council website at http://www.sflaborcouncil.org/ViewUpload... and http://www.sflaborcouncil.org/ViewUpload...

One reform group is organizing across all the SEIU locals. That group is SMART -- SEIU Member Activists for Reform Today. Our website is at http://www.seiusmart.org/ and we can also be reached at ReformSEIU@googlegroups.com
By KlerRyan

4/27/09 at 9:16 a.m.

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The unions ruined Detroit, they are going to ruin Vegas.
By rpm6600

4/27/09 at 9:30 a.m.

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Unions have done nothing for Las Vegas or its' people. They cause prices to go up and help reduce quality & service. I go to Vegas 5-6 times a year and only stay and eat in non-union hotels. Good luck - union Sheople - if you only new where SEIU's money went you'd get rid of the whole batch of socialist creeps.
By joe4473

4/27/09 at 11:25 a.m.

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Culinary, Don't let this happen!! SEIU is the most corrupt and worthless union there is. They are there just to take worker's money and give nothing in return. They have worked with the County of San Diego for years and ask any member what they have done for them and most if not all will not be able to answer, yet they collected over a million dollars a year in dues and agency fee money for nothing in return. I am pro union all the way, I believe in protecting worker's rights and yet I would never join this union again knowing what I know about them. Google them and see all of the lawsuits against them by members for failing to represent them. Stay away from SEIU at all costs!!!!
By NoLongerSEIUGirl

4/27/09 at 12:43 p.m.

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Who is National Union of Healthcare Workers?

NUHW is the fruit of California healthcare workers' struggle for democracy our workplaces and in our unions. We are building a national movement to unite the millions of dedicated caregivers whose voices must be heard by our employers, by elected officials, and by our own unions if we are to build a better America.

We Are.

We have always been the Union. Our Union is not a building or a name. It is Kaiser, Hospital, Nursing Home, and Home Care workers together, declaring our independence from SEIU.

We will no longer send $30,000,000 a year of our dues money to Washington so they can make secret, backroom deals with the boss to take away our benefits, contract standards and job security.

On Saturday, healthcare workers and leaders gathered in San Francisco to celebrate our record-breaking success and plan for the future. We approved a provisional constitution that puts our democratic principles in writing, and guarantees healthcare workers will always be in control. We elected interim leaders that we can hold accountable, and developed strategies to support NUHW organizing campaigns outside our own facilities. More than 700 healthcare workers left ready to do whatever it takes to win recognition of our union with employers across California. More than 95,000 of us have petitioned to leave SEIU in just a few months. Once we have elections we will finally be free of SEIU and able to build a real democratic union. I can't wait for election day! Goodbye Andy Stern!
By EFCANOW

4/27/09 at 1:12 p.m.

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SEIU Should Try To Organize the Security Professionals Working at Every MGM Mirage Facility .... Better YET I Am Going To Help Them!

http://www.spfpalocal7777.org/index.html...

http://www.spfpalocal7777.org/NEWS.html

http://www.spfpalocal7777.org/DubaiWorld...

http://www.spfpalocal7777.org/LM20REPORT...

MGM Mirage - CAN YOU GUESS WHO I AM?

SENDING OFF THE LISTS TODAY!

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