In the Bellagio’s basement, employees suddenly media stars

Tiffany Brown

Culinary Union representative Mirna Preciado works the employee lunchroom at the Bellagio, handing out fliers on where candidates stand on union members’ issues, including their right to caucus.

By Timothy Pratt

Fri, Jan 18, 2008 (2 a.m.)

Hanging out at the debate

You need to upgrade your Flash Player

En Espanol: La gente y el debate

You need to upgrade your Flash Player

2008 Caucus Coverage

Caucus Guide: Biographies, Issues Overview and a how to caucus video.
Political blog: Continuous updates
Interactive: Candidate Selector and Trivia Game
Caucus Locator: For Democratic locations, or GOP sites.

See the interactive graphic »

Camera crews from England’s BBC had just finished filming and the Arab world’s Al-Jazeera would soon follow.

No Paris Hilton here. Just the Las Vegas casino worker, Bellagio variety, two days before Nevada’s first early Democratic presidential caucus.

Between a lawsuit threatening to take away the Bellagio’s at-large site and that of eight other casinos for Saturday’s caucus -- a suit tossed out hours later -- and the political weight of the Culinary Union’s 60,000 members -- suddenly the Bellagio’s basement cafeteria is ground zero.

It’s 11:15 a.m. and five guys are sitting down to tortillas, beans and beef. One has a vanilla ice cream cone.

Daniel Cana, a dishwasher from Mexico who’s been a U.S. citizen for 12 years, says he’ll take time from his 8-4 shift Saturday to caucus at the Bellagio, where he intends to support the union’s endorsed candidate, Sen. Barack Obama.

“The union tells you who is the best candidate, but the decision is yours,” he says. “For me, the best is Obama.”

Jose Hernandez, a dishwasher sitting to Cana’s left, describes Obama as “the one who offers the most to us” -- meaning Hispanics, nearly half the union’s membership.

David Gonzalez, part of the hotel’s public relations staff, hovers over the conversation -- and others between a reporter and workers.

When the reporter suggests that workers might not feel comfortable speaking their mind with a Bellagio suit standing nearby, Gonzalez says: “We need to listen in when the media talks to our workers.”

Over toward the soda machine, Mirna Preciado, a union representative, urges workers to caucus and hands out a green sheet of paper headlined “Where do the top candidates stand on our issues?” It features the positions of Obama and Clinton on the Culinary workers’ right to caucus, union issues, lobbyists in Washington, immigration and the Iraq war. Three other union representatives work the room, doing the same.

At several tables, workers say they won’t be going Saturday because they’re not citizens.

Florencio Herrera, stirring a cup of coffee, first says he does not know whether he will go or even when the caucus will be, but then lets on that he likes Clinton, “because of her husband’s track record.” “He had the economy in good shape,” he says. “I’m going with someone different.”

He and colleague Nick Alas laugh at the suggestion that it’s like being the only one in your neighborhood who likes a different soccer team.

Then there’s Tammy Kobinski, who works 8 to 4 in the Bellagio’s warehouse and 5 to 10 at Sears. She won’t be going to the caucus, she says, because she can’t afford to miss an hour’s pay -- $12.89.

Then it’s time to go: Japan’s Fuji TV has arrived, and there’s a one-media-crew-at-a-time rule in place for the day.

Discussion: 6 comments so far…

By PulSamsara

1/18/08 at 5:11 a.m.

Suggest removal

Barack Obama for President of the UNITED States of America.
By skywater

1/18/08 at 7:48 a.m.

Suggest removal

Its time to vote!

I know any of the candidates will be a huge step forward from the Bush Administration. I hope everyone can look at each Democratic candidate on the issues that are important to them in an intelligent manner (meaning excluding race and gender) and make up their own minds. Its easy to do, each candidate has a website with their position on the issues. You can look at a biography of the candidates on wikipedia.

I’m voting for Obama, it comes down to his decision making, asking for advice from all, then making a decision, a decision that has as much idealism in it as possible, but enough political practicality as to be successful.
By lepush

1/18/08 at 4:02 p.m.

Suggest removal

OBAMA. 100%

He's our country's last chance to have a real President -

Clinton is a corporation-backed puppet.

VOTE FOR THE PEOPLE.

VOTE BARACK OBAMA!
By poliscistudent

1/19/08 at 12:34 a.m.

Suggest removal

Caucus for Romney today. He has shown much interest in Nevada and has the expertise to improve the economy and to keep America strong competitively. No other candidate can or will do this. Best of luck to Mitt and Ann Romney today!!!
By ARMYSFCC

1/19/08 at 3:48 a.m.

Suggest removal

Hillary Clinton will say anything to get a vote. I'm listening to her lie to a Reno crowd about how she would destroy the NoChild Left Behind Act. The crowd applauded on cue, she winked and moved on to the next lie. Dec 18 2001 she was pleased to vote yes on the No Child Left Behind Act, but now she's against it. She voted for the war inIraq, but now she's against it, she voted for the Bankruptcy Bill that is causing many to have their homes foreclosed on, but now she has a plan to fix it. I have a better plan. I plan to vote for Obama because he has demonstrated spuerior judgement at crucial times.

Obama/Edwards 08!!!!
By Taelyn

1/19/08 at 7:12 p.m.

Suggest removal

The Union Leaders got what they deserved today, for trying to intimidate the workers who pay their salary.

Congratulations Hillary.
And Congratulations to the overwhelming amount of Culinary Union members who told the Union where to stick it , and Caucused for their "personal choice" Hillary.