Michael Mishak

Reporter/ General Assignment

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Toxic feud at SEIU’s top ends with resignations: Local’s two ranking leaders reach agreement amid union disorder; Saturday, June 28, 2008; The terms for the resignations of the top two leaders of one of Nevada’s largest unions were laid out over salad and breadsticks at a Las Vegas Olive Garden on Tuesday night.
Pointed plan for energy: McCain presents battery of proposals, including expanded nuclear power; Thursday, June 26, 2008; John McCain unveiled a comprehensive energy plan in a speech at UNLV on Wednesday that he said would allow the country to achieve “strategic energy independence” in the next 17 years. Perhaps most relevant to Nevadans is his proposal to expand nuclear power.
Obama gets ﬁrst jabs on Vegas’ ‘green’ turf: Wednesday, June 25, 2008; Barack Obama used a campaign speech on energy in Las Vegas on Tuesday to sully the “green” credentials of his Republican presidential rival, John McCain, who has been running ads in sunny Nevada boasting of his work on global warming.
Next target: UMC: With a California group’s bid to wrest nurses’ union representation at St. Rose hospitals from SEIU tied up, the union turns to University Medical Center, where SEIU has two years to go.; Tuesday, June 24, 2008; The California Nurses Association, unsuccessful so far in pushing aside the powerful SEIU as the preferred organizer of nurses in Southern Nevada, has set a new goal: to unseat the SEIU at University Medical Center.
Union turns down Imperial maids: Culinary loath to represent workers at possibly doomed hotel; Wednesday, June 18, 2008; Maids at Imperial Palace are fed up — and it’s not just because they say they’re being worked a lot harder than other housekeepers on the Strip. They’re angry at the Culinary Union for not coming to the rescue by organizing them.
Mandalay Bay guards vote against union: Organizer vows to object, citing agent’s bathroom break; Tuesday, June 17, 2008; With a good dose of election drama — including a ballot box being taken into a bathroom — a union seeking to organize Las Vegas security guards has lost its flagship campaign at Mandalay Bay.
Culinary stakes out its own political turf: Friday, June 13, 2008; Despite calls for unity at the Nevada AFL-CIO’s political convention this week, the state’s labor movement will not be speaking with one voice in November.
Unions’ pressure on Ross spurred CityCenter walkout: Sunday, June 8, 2008; The show of force was impressive. Nevada’s construction unions walked off job sites along the Strip on Monday, the first major project shutdown over safety in Las Vegas history. Union leaders said negotiations with the general contractor, Perini Building Co., had failed.
To win in Nevada, both have work to do: Caucus performances point to Obama, McCain weaknesses; Sunday, June 1, 2008; Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain all but tripped over each other last week as they crisscrossed Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada trading barbs and laying claim to a region that is changing from red to blue.
Organizer’s tactics test limits, even for workers: Some MGM Mirage guards object to pictures linking exec, bin Laden; Monday, May 19, 2008; A campaign to organize MGM Mirage security guards has turned ugly, with the union’s lead organizer comparing casino executives to terrorists and threatening to bring homeless people and prostitutes to the picket line to make things unpleasant for the company’s customers.
Calls for unity draw different answers from Clinton voters: Many will support Obama, some say they never could; Sunday, May 18, 2008; Barack Obama has a lot of work to do. After a long and contentious presidential nomination battle, Democrats gathered here for their state convention Saturday, with party leaders calling for unity in a tacit acknowledgment that Illinois Sen. Barack Obama will likely secure the nomination.
Eye-to-eye ends with the economy: Race for 3rd Congressional District expected to be hotly contested; Sunday, May 11, 2008; The campaign for Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District is just beginning, as Republican Rep. Jon Porter and Democratic state Sen. Dina Titus prepare to face off in what will be one of the most competitive races in the country.
Union pushed; Trop fell: Behind the scenes, the Culinary and its parent helped bring about the loss of Tropicana’s New Jersey license and its filing for bankruptcy protection; Friday, May 9, 2008; The owners of the Tropicana might have filed for bankruptcy protection regardless of labor union tactics.
But the Culinary Union and its parent certainly saw where the Tropicana, a long-standing nemesis, was vulnerable. And the union then set itself on a course of action that it knew would lead to the company’s financial unraveling.
The gaming company has filed for bankruptcy reorganization after the union’s parent, Unite Here, led a successful charge for the revocation of its New Jersey gaming license.
CNA tips status quo, but doesn’t oust SEIU: Outcome for St. Rose nurses still uncertain, but union unrest is clear; Friday, May 9, 2008; The Service Employees International Union suffered a clear vote of no confidence this week as registered nurses it represents at three St. Rose Dominican hospitals voted in greater — though still inconclusive — numbers to join a rival union.
Nurses unions’ showdown starts today: Tuesday, May 6, 2008; Registered nurses — numbering 1,100 — at three St. Rose Dominican hospitals vote today and Wednesday on whether to retain the Service Employees International Union as their bargaining representative — or join a rival union.
Teamsters may undercut members: Complaints of union collusion to hire nonunion convention labor spur revolt; Tuesday, May 6, 2008; Members of Teamsters Local 631 complain their union is colluding with major convention center contractors to wean them of union labor, a suspicion that has spurred efforts to replace local leadership with a slate of insurgent candidates.
Businesses scurry to build defenses for possible unionizing onslaught: Democrat-backed bill would allow Vegas-style organizing; Monday, May 5, 2008; Big business is taking steps to fend off an expected flood of unionizing drives if Congress approves legislation making it easier for workers to organize.
To Dems’ dismay, Daskas drops out: Tuesday, April 29, 2008; After months as the Democratic establishment’s anointed candidate, Robert Daskas on Monday dropped out of the contest against Rep. Jon Porter, citing “family considerations.” Democrats now face the recurring problem of recruiting a challenger.
Security guards on Strip seek to organize: At Luxor, targeted first, owner MGM Mirage fights back with carrots and sticks; Monday, April 21, 2008; Security guards are trying to organize a union on the Strip, and the move has brought a strong response from casino giant MGM Mirage.
Group opposing Wynn tip sharing plan to protest Culinary role: Sunday, April 20, 2008; When critics of Wynn Las Vegas’ controversial tip-sharing policy filed a petition this year on behalf of dealers who want to keep their tips, they thought they were uniting against a common enemy: Steve Wynn.
Labor law broken during SEIU election, report says: Preliminary probe finds union misused funds, roster; Thursday, April 17, 2008; A preliminary U.S. Labor Department investigation has found that one of Nevada’s largest unions violated federal labor law during its most recent officer election, including the use of union funds and membership rosters for internal political purposes.
A CAUTIOUS PUSH: After Strip building site deaths, some workers want more safety demands from unions, but press too hard and they may be jobless; Sunday, April 13, 2008; The 70-odd ironworkers working at the Fontainebleau construction site were fed up with dangerous conditions. In July, they stopped working in the unsafe areas and persuaded their union, Ironworkers Local 433, to negotiate with the contractor to correct several specific safety problems: They wanted a caged elevator, not an open lift, to ride to higher floors. They demanded installation of a promised cable so they could attach their safety harnesses. They wanted the safety net, then balled up somewhere on the site, stretched beneath workers, where it belonged.
Spurned candidate sets sights on primary: Tuesday, April 8, 2008; As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was musing last year about recruiting boxer Oscar De La Hoya or tennis great Andre Agassi to run for Congress, Andrew Martin was making his case as a candidate.
In fatalities, union to meet with OSHA: Policy represents change for ironworkers local; Saturday, April 5, 2008; With tensions over construction worker deaths along the Strip surfacing, about 200 ironworkers filled their union hall Friday night to discuss how to improve workplace safety. By meeting’s end, there was general agreement among union stewards that they would now participate in conferences between state safety inspectors and contractors when safety violations are discussed in the wake of workplace fatalities.
Teamsters’ next hurdle: Election: Accusations already flying over contested contract; Saturday, April 5, 2008; Las Vegas Teamsters Local 631 is never at peace.
After struggling for at least a decade with corruption, mismanagement and infighting, the union now faces a brutal election campaign.
BED ALERT!: Tropicana employees on the lookout for bedbugs; Friday, April 4, 2008; The owners of the embattled Tropicana hotel have placed a bounty on bedbugs, offering housekeepers $25 a pop for each one brought in alive. The offer was posted in the hotel’s housekeeping offices, raising eyebrows among workers wondering whether they should pull out magnifying glasses while changing sheets. “Don’t forget to check for bedbugs!” one flier exclaims in English and Spanish. “Check every room — every day.” The posting features enlarged images of the minuscule bloodsucking menaces.

The campaign to corral bedbugs for cash has provided an opening for the Culinary Union — which is in a pitched contract dispute with Tropicana ownership — to have some fun at the hotel’s expense.

Parent company Columbia Sussex had its gaming license revoked by New Jersey gaming regulators last year, and part of the evidence before that state’s casino control commission was customer complaints, including claims of bedbug-infested rooms. The company is also on the verge of bankruptcy.
Union woos nurses amid rift: California group’s bid comes as national SEIU leaders fight; Tuesday, April 1, 2008; A California-based nurses union is seeking to exploit a national rift in the country’s largest and fastest-growing union by poaching nurses at three local St. Rose Dominican hospitals, according to state labor leaders and national experts.
Nurses may bolt service union: Petition by St. Rose SEIU members seeks representation by rival; Thursday, March 27, 2008; The Service Employees International Union faced an apparent revolt Wednesday as several hundred nurses at the three St. Rose Dominican hospitals filed a petition to switch to a rival union — even as the SEIU negotiates a new contract on the nurses’ behalf.
Why you need to worship Blue Oyster Cult: Friday, March 21, 2008; Few bands typify 1970s excess like Blue Oyster Cult. Their big mustaches, big guitars and big laser-light shows were a primary inspiration for Spinal Tap, after all. (Giant, red-eyed, fire-breathing Godzilla head, anyone?)
Stagehands sour on union: Still no contract but lots of complaints; Wednesday, March 19, 2008; After a bitter organizing campaign last year, 10 stagehands based at the Orleans voted for union representation at three Boyd Gaming casinos. But nine months later, the stagehands have seen the realities of the modern labor movement.
Records suggest club kingpin has violent side: Ex-wives, ex-employee have sought protection in court from Steve Davidovici; Sunday, March 16, 2008; If Steve Davidovici is trying to find out who got angry enough to call the IRS on his Las Vegas nightclub operation, he will be making a long list. The Las Vegas man at the center of the federal investigation at two Strip nightclubs has a history of violence against lovers, employees and club patrons, according to lawsuits and protective orders stretching back more than a decade. All the while, Davidovici, steeped in mystery, was building a nightlife empire — culminating with Pure, the most successful nightclub in America.
Looking the other way: Experts say they should have monitored the ‘avalanche of money’ flowing through clubs; Sunday, March 9, 2008; Casino companies should have known about the huge amounts of cash washing through nightclubs on their properties long before the Internal Revenue Service began investigations of two of Las Vegas’ most popular clubs, say former gaming executives and others familiar with the industry.
Union’s plan: Win dealers’ gratitude, then their votes: Saturday, March 1, 2008; After winning the right to represent casino dealers at two major Strip resorts last year, the Transport Workers Union of America is taking its organizing effort to the next level.
Clubs’ cash flow suspect: IRS raids on Pure, LAX send shivers through club, casino industries; Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008; The burgeoning nightclub scene has brought a new kind of money to Las Vegas — and an old kind of trouble. The scene is awash in cash to an extent reminiscent of Las Vegas’ early days.
Convention ends in chaos, so Dems need a do-over: Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008; The Clark County Democratic Convention turned into a fiasco Saturday, with a host of problems that were entirely predictable but blithely ignored by county party leadership.
Citing her party’s gains, Derby to take on Heller: Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008; Democrat Jill Derby lost to first-term Republican Rep. Dean Heller of Carson City by 5 percentage points in 2006. Now she's betting on a little new math in her decision to challenge him anew.
In executive suites, some see split in caucus as sign of union’s weakness: Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008; The Culinary Union’s failure to deliver for Sen. Barack Obama in the Nevada Democratic presidential caucus revealed a weakness in the union’s solidarity that has not escaped the notice of Strip casino executives smarting from the union’s tough negotiations.
State Dems: Caucus tab worth it: Party owes schools $100,000, but gains in voters priceless; Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008; Like waking up with a doozy of a hangover after a great party, the Nevada Democratic Party is recovering from last month’s record-breaking caucuses with a financial headache.
The weight of his faith: Many evangelicals couldn’t get past Romney’s religion; Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008; Mitt Romney’s losses Tuesday in a string of primary elections in the South likely stand as final proof that many evangelical Christians were unwilling to overlook his Mormon faith, say religious and political observers who analyzed the vote.
Culinary, Tropicana are talking — but slowly, not about the big issues: Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2008; Negotiations between the Culinary Union and the Tropicana are moving glacially, labor leader D. Taylor said Tuesday, with the union “grinding” its way through the company’s proposal for a new contract.
Tenser and tenser as Trop and workers negotiate: Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008; Labor-management tensions at the Tropicana escalated Monday, with the Culinary Union calling on the corporate owners to publicly apologize for dismissing employees’ payroll and security concerns at the property.
Nevada caucuses left their mark on hopefuls: Clinton, Obama use lessons learned here in other states; Sunday, Feb. 3, 2008; The Democratic caucuses served as a critical dress rehearsal for the campaigns of Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as they head into Tuesday, the biggest day of presidential nominating contests in U.S. history.
Trop dragging down gaming, Culinary says: Owner fires back: The union is trying to ‘roast the property’ by making calls to the police and running up negative statistics; Friday, Feb. 1, 2008; The Culinary Union has raised the stakes in its contract dispute with the Tropicana, asking state regulators to investigate whether cuts in security staff led to an increase in crime at the casino. The Culinary and Tropicana owner Columbia Sussex return to the bargaining table Monday.
Sorry we missed ya: Unpopular president will be in Vegas, but GOP leaders conveniently won’t be; Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008; It’s lonely at the top, especially when you’re an unpopular president.
When President Bush speaks in Las Vegas on Thursday, he will not be joined by any of Nevada’s members of Congress.
More than 116,000 caucusgoers, lots of chaos: Monday, Jan. 21, 2008; Many caucusgoers complained to reporters at the scene or e-mailed the Sun after about chaos at many caucus sites.
Campaign’s ‘Big Dawg’: Ex-president opens doors, goes on attack; Monday, Jan. 21, 2008; When the former president of the United States calls, you answer the phone, and you don’t say no to his request.
How Clinton hit pay dirt: The keys to her Nevada victory: a huge wave of new voters; Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008; If you want to know how Sen. Hillary Clinton won a convincing victory in Saturday’s Nevada caucus, look back to a meeting Dec. 15 at William E. Orr Middle School in Las Vegas.
Culinary Union can’t muscle win: Poor showing blamed on late endorsement; Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008; Sen. Hillary Clinton won seven of the nine at-large caucus sites on the Strip, sites her husband had derided as giving disproportionate influence to the 60,000-strong union. She won Nevada by 6 percentage points. In short, the Culinary didn’t deliver.
‘Jury’ hears final arguments: Clinton and Obama campaigns give it their final shot in Las Vegas; Saturday, Jan. 19, 2008; It all began 18 months ago with a show of raw political power by Sen. Harry Reid, who leveraged his position as then-Senate minority leader and his relationship with Howard Dean and other members of the Democratic National Committee to make Nevada an early presidential voting state. And it will end today.
Culinary pushing hard, but inside lines: Experts say pressure is one thing, threats another; Friday, Jan. 18, 2008; As the Culinary Union worked feverishly this week to persuade its members to support Barack Obama, a prickly question arose: What is the difference between tough political tactics and unethical, or illegal, intimidation?