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Union members walk the sidewalk during a rally and picket line organized by the Culinary Union Local 226 to condemn Station Casinos’ anti-union campaigns in front of Palace Station in Las Vegas Thursday, March 11, 2010.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 | 1:14 p.m.
Sun archives
- Judge deals blow to Culinary Union effort in Station Casinos bankruptcy case (5-27-2010)
- Union-backed group critical of Station reorganization plan (4-21-2010)
- Station Casinos workers seek refuge with Culinary Union (3-13-2010)
- Culinary Union alleges unfair labor practices at Station Casinos (2-25-2010)
- Culinary Union sides with Station Casino’s creditors (11-23-2009)
The Culinary Union and Las Vegas locals casino owner Station Casinos Inc. traded charges today as the union continued its drive to organize Station workers.
The union called a news conference to charge that Station has been engaging in anti-union activities and that "Latino workers are overwhelmingly the subjects of those alleged illegal activities.''
The union noted the National Labor Relations Board, acting on a complaint filed by the union, on May 28 filed a complaint against the company alleging some supervisors at certain properties violated labor law by subjecting union sympathizers to threats of being fired, surveillance, interrogations, retaliation, discipline and discriminatory treatment.
The Culinary, representing 55,000 local gaming workers mainly on the Las Vegas Strip and downtown, has also been agitating in Station's bankruptcy case.
"This media stunt is yet more of the same by the Culinary Union. There’s no new news here as they have been trying to organize our team members for at least 13 years, so their efforts aren’t unexpected,'' Station spokeswoman Lori Nelson said in a statement. "What the union fails to point out in the complaint is that under threat of dismissal by the National Labor Relations Board (NRLB), the Culinary Union withdrew all allegations that they knew were without merit to which our company would have prevailed at this early stage of the NLRB's process.
"Station Casinos will respond and defend the case vigorously and with a full and fair opportunity to be heard, will prevail,'' Nelson said.
The union said about 86 percent of the charges in the NLRB complaint involve Latino workers.
"Workers at Station Casinos are standing up to join the Culinary and Bartenders unions because they want a better life for themselves and their families," Culinary Union President Geoconda Arguello-Kline said in a statement. "The company has responded not only with an aggressive anti-union campaign resulting in the government issuing a massive labor law complaint, but with an attack that is falling overwhelmingly on Latino workers."
But Nelson disputed the union's allegations.
"The Culinary Union keeps claiming we are anti-union and it’s quite the opposite as we are pro-employee. For nearly 35 years, we have prided ourselves on treating our team members fair and with the utmost respect. I think that is evidenced by the fact that we are the only gaming company ever to be selected by Fortune magazine among their '100 Best Companies To Work For' for four years in a row,'' she said.
"We recognize and respect our team members’ right to be represented by a union if that’s what they choose to do, but we continue to be amazed that the union leadership uses its members’ due in attempting to organize our team members instead of trying to find jobs for the thousands of Culinary Union members who have been laid off during this recession,'' Nelson said.
The union only cares about union dues. If they cared about the workers they would try to unionize the small companies too. They only go after the big companies to get the most dues they can. I have never seen the Union stand up for ANY individual workers rights since working in union rooms for the last seven years. Once you are in they forget about you.
wonder why the culinary's not intertested in the dealers
My next door neighbor was a union plumber and an ex-felon. He just so happened to get stopped with a firearm (not good for ex-felons) and was jailed. During his stint in the CCDC they found out he was here illegally and he was deported. So yeah, the unions don't have a problem with illegals....as long as they pay dues.
Any union that uses these tactics is a joke. They perform a major disservice to their members by wasting their dues.
there must be a good reason why for the past 13yrs, no one at the Station's casino's voted the union's in !!!!!!!
These protestors should be cited for disturbing
the pease.
This is why companies go to non-union states our oversea.
I hope these protesters make their $100.00 a hour
in this heat.
Be a union member and pay for a job.
Why isn't ICE checking that picket line.
Cullinary just want more people to pay dues.
Unions outlived their usefulness years ago. Now, they are just money hungry protectors of some of the laziest, most entitled and disgruntled people with whom I've ever worked or had a business encounter. Those union workers sure make some fine automobiles, don't they??? They've added illegals to their ranks??? Great!!! Yup, we sure can be proud of our "Live Better/Work Union" folks!!!
unions. haha!
if you listen really close you can hear their chant...
"rich people are evil...but like can we have more of your money? rich people are evil...but like can we have more of your money?"
Yet another (non-!)news story about the Culinary Union's futile attempts to inflict itself on Stations and its workers...
Give it up, Geoconda (how appropriate that that name sounds like a type of snake); NOBODY at this company wants you guys around! It doesn't matter how many false allegations of labor-law violations you throw out there, NONE OF THEM ARE GOING TO STICK, because we, the Stations Team Members, KNOW and PREFER our company's culture over your creepy, smarmy, and cult-like organizing tactics!
Furthermore, for Culinary to PLAY THE RACE CARD and suggest that Latinos have been VICTIMIZED by our own employer is preposterous, absurd, and patently false. Did Stations "abuse" its Latino workers when it helped them buy their homes, send their kids to college, achieve citizenship, support their communities/schools through its generous funding, and provide all the opportunities for its workers (and then some!) that the "union" casinos have offered? It sounds like there's a few opportunistic, self-entitled, and disloyal sell-outs among us who will do or say ANYTHING for a buck, even if it means making up lies about the company that employs us.
My husband has worked for Texas Station for 6 years. I know many of the employees very well. When he first started working there things were great, but now things seem to be getting worse and worse. The favoritism in that place makes me sick. One team member got caught gambling while working and came back to work after a two-day suspension. Then an innocent bartender who loved his job and his guests gets fired for some bogus reason. How does that happen!?! I know a lot of the employees are now voting for the union because they don't feel safe in their jobs. Hopefully Station Casinos will get their act together and start treating their team members with a little more respect.
Don't blame the citizens who are members in the unions(all of the locals) on the fact that illegals are getting positions in the unions and taking union jobs away from it's citizens, the business managers at each of the locals are deciding not to use e-verify and are letting the illegals get away with their federal crimes. Don't blame the members, our citizens are the ones losing, they can't get in on what little work is left out there.
The union called a news conference to charge that Station has been engaging in anti-union activities and that "Latino workers are overwhelmingly the subjects of those alleged illegal activities.''
Well...that stands to reason. Latino workers are the only ones who are gullible enough to be coerced into the union brainwashing. I'm sure Stations would be happy to engage in anti-union activities against team members of different rac
Just want everyone at Stations' Casinos to know, whenever I come see my Father (about every two months) from Kansas City, I always patronize Station Casinos, and will as long as they stay non-union.
ABSOLUTELY CAN'T WAIT TO COME BACK TO VEGAS!!! But...you gotta get rid of all those Illegals..as a former Las Vegas citizen..I beg you (legal citizens) to take back your wonderful city..Get rid of Reed..and get rid of the Illegals!!! GO VEGAS..you can do this..I feel so bad for all the real citizens that are suffering because of this invasion..step up to the plate..NOW...
I think the culinary union should do something more useful with their time than bother the Station workers. Here is what I would propose; why not unionize all those workers on the sidewalks of the strip who flick their little sex cards and try to hand them to tourists?
Now this is a group of people who are seriously oppressed. Are they getting an hour break for an eight hour shift? Do they have benefits? How 'bout 401K or a pension plan? Geocanda, this is a group of people who could really use your help!
Hey Rachelle26, I think know that bartender you talked about who lost his job at texas station. The hawaiian guy, best bartender in the casino. Stations for some reason keeps all their grumpy burnt-out bartenders who never even smile, and gets rid of the good ones. I was there two days ago and lost 200 at whiskey bar before a bartender even showed up. Figures, now I'll be spending my money elsewhere!!
love you morons who hate the idiots who own these places, then come down on workers. what the hell do you little boys want, everyone to work at walmart. alot of your forefathers fought to keep us safe, bring workers rights, vacations, 40 hour week, etc, etc, etc,-what the hell have you done for your country=NOTHING
Rachellle,
What is the bogus reason? Some things are terminable at first offense while other things are not? Additionally, without his records on conduct, attendance, and performance, it is tough to determine if he indeed was fired for a bogus reason of series of reasons.
I knew an employee that was fired because she was a poor performer and showed up late many times. One day she showed up very late to mandatory training and she was terminated. I spoke to some of her coworkers and the story she told is that she couldn't believe she was fired because she was late to a training. It wasn't just that.
I have been on both sides as the employee and the employer, Unions prey on the weak and make business more difficult.
I'm sure you know why things have gotten worse at the Texas Station right? Tourism is down and unemployment is the highest in the nation. That translates into slow businesses and rough times.
I hope things turn around and that business picks up but what I can say is that today, unions are never the answer.