Michael Mishak

Reporter/ General Assignment

Michael Mishak is a reporter who covers labor issues for the Las Vegas Sun.

Contact Michael via e-mail

Call Michael at 702-259-2347.

Story Archive

In Labor's heart, Dems didn't deliver: Leaders say unions took unfair hit in legislative session, vow to fight in ’11; Tuesday, June 9, 2009; Nevada labor leaders are disappointed that their Democratic allies in the Legislature failed to advance significant items on labor’s agenda despite controlling both chambers for the first time in two decades. To be sure, unions can claim some small victories, including improvements to the state’s workers’ compensation system and mandated safety training for construction workers. But a sense of frustration — even outrage — was palpable last week as labor leaders lamented lawmakers’ failure to restructure the state’s tax system. To hear them tell it, the Legislature robbed workers for the second consecutive session, forcing cuts in public employee pay, pensions and health benefits. Moreover, legislators amended collective bargaining rules for local governments, tilting the system toward management.
Card check might be union war’s collateral damage: Bill founders as one leader of Unite Here departs; Wednesday, June 3, 2009; After spending hundreds of millions of dollars to win Democratic majorities in Congress and elect Barack Obama president, the labor movement’s No. 1 legislative priority — a bill that would make it easier for workers to organize — is in severe jeopardy, in large part because of high-profile infighting among some the country’s most progressive unions.
Wilhelm’s stand: Labor will rebuild middle class: Organizational fighting, he says, is a step toward private sector unionization; Sunday, May 31, 2009; We sat down with Wilhelm last week for a conversation at the Culinary’s offices, where he spent 11 years overseeing the local. In his view, the battle between Unite Here and SEIU will determine the future of the American labor movement.
Unite Here even more split as co-leader resigns in huff: Sunday, May 31, 2009; A bitter, protracted leadership struggle within one of the nation’s most progressive unions apparently ended Friday when Unite Here General President Bruce Raynor resigned.
Obama here for the sunshine: As president applauds Nevada's green efforts, two bills to foster industry's growth make their way through Carson City; Thursday, May 28, 2009; Some people visit Las Vegas for the sights. Others, for the sounds.
But Wednesday, President Barack Obama said he came here for the sun, touring a solar array at Nellis Air Force Base, the largest facility of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.
Obama and Reid are friends indeed: Their alliance boosts Reid's reelection hopes and Obama's ambitious agenda; Wednesday, May 27, 2009; In early February, Majority Leader Harry Reid stepped onto the Senate floor to announce that President Barack Obama had just accepted his invitation to return to Las Vegas.
Obama makes no mention of Vegas tourism remark: Wednesday, May 27, 2009; No apologies.

No clarifications.

No setting the record straight.

President Barack Obama's speech at a Harry Reid fundraiser Tuesday night made no reference whatsoever to the remarks that sent Vegas boosters -- and Mayor Oscar Goodman in particular -- into a fury a few months ago.
Obama praises Reid at Vegas fundraiser: President speaks at Caesars Palace event for Senate majority leader; Tuesday, May 26, 2009; On his first visit to Nevada since the November election, President Barack Obama played Fundraiser in Chief Tuesday night, delivering a 20-minute speech to a sold-out crowd at Caesars Palace, all for the benefit of Sen. Harry Reid.
Flight of the Conchords: 'Business Time' in Vegas: No one even had to scream 'Free Bird," they just played it; Sunday, May 24, 2009; Flight of the Conchords — "New Zealand's fourth most famous folk parody duo" — brought their A game to the new Joint Saturday night, turning in a riotous 90-minute set of acoustic numbers about love, ladies and killer robots, culled from the two seasons of their hit HBO comedy series.
Why consolidating city and county governments isn't a silver bullet for waste: Combining Las Vegas and Clark County, some say, would save a bundle of money and maximize efficiency. But studies of similar mergers show such goals often aren’t met.; Sunday, May 24, 2009; Mayor Oscar Goodman is again asking the simple question: Would one government be better than two — or, in the case of the Las Vegas Valley, five? The city’s deficit — $150 million over the next five years — fuels his argument.
Momentum from Obama campaign dissipates: Activists’ achievements in state fall short of goals; Sunday, May 24, 2009; Six weeks after Barack Obama won the presidency last year, political activists — empowered and enthusiastic, ready to take on the world — filled Teresa Crawford’s living room. Today they’re wondering what happened.
Nine Inch Nails eager to rock Las Vegas fans: Jane's Addiction holds its own - then some - against NIN; Tuesday, May 19, 2009; At first blush, the headliner on Monday night's double bill seemed obvious: Nine Inch Nails.
Unplugged: The SEIU chief on the labor movement and the card check: He’s signaling a truce with Culinary but has harsh words for its parent, Unite Here; Sunday, May 10, 2009; In Andy Stern’s world view, bigger is better. And better still if the center of that world is his 2-million-member Service Employees International Union.
Hard bargaining or bad faith at Wynn? It’s hard to say: Experts: Accusations are tough to prove; Wednesday, May 6, 2009; As dealers at Wynn Las Vegas enter their third year of bargaining with casino management over a union contract, two words can be found on the lips of both parties: bad faith.
Six Questions: Paul Davis, Vice President of Entertainment, Hard Rock: Tuesday, May 5, 2009; Paul Davis is the man behind the music at the Hard Rock Hotel. As vice president of entertainment, he oversees booking for the casino’s venues, including the new Joint, the $60 million, 4,000-seat concert hall that opened last month with the likes of Paul McCartney and the Killers.
Another union seeks Culinary’s right to organize Strip workers: Sunday, April 26, 2009; 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.
Labor secretary says OSHA to be strengthened: Solis: Hundreds of investigators to be hired to strengthen safety enforcement; Thursday, April 23, 2009; Echoing remarks she made earlier this week, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said Thursday that her department would strengthen the Occupational Safety and Health Administration by adding hundreds of investigators and spending tens of millions of dollars on enforcement activities. Solis spoke briefly with reporters in North Las Vegas.
Let the good times roll. Please.: According to Mayor Goodman, local economy on rebound, though more conventional indicators disagree; Thursday, April 23, 2009; Oscar Goodman has always been a master image-maker. After all, the onetime mob lawyer who represented brutal enforcers such as Tony “the Ant” Spilotro parlayed his notoriety into a decade-long political career as the popular mayor of Las Vegas. His was always the World According to Oscar.
Goodman: Plenty of reason for economic optimism: In 30-minute speech, mayor says Las Vegas has 'turned around'; Wednesday, April 22, 2009; As far as Oscar Goodman is concerned, Las Vegas has turned a corner. Speaking to a Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce luncheon Wednesday, the Las Vegas mayor said the currents of the recession had shifted and that the city's redevelopment efforts have laid the groundwork for a big comeback.
Redevelopment staff had role in independent study: Sunday, April 19, 2009; Correspondence, obtained by the Las Vegas Sun through an open records request, reveals a tight relationship between city staff and Applied Analysis as the firm worked on the study.
Neighborhood indie record shops beckon: Friday, April 17, 2009; The independent record store is an endangered species. But in a town accused of being devoid of culture and community, a few indie shops have managed to thrive, providing Las Vegas with small doses of both. Record Store Day, set for Saturday, celebrates the sheer survival of these cultural gems. Top five reasons to visit an independent record store:
Has labor visionary crossed the line?: Critics say SEIU leader is harming movement in quest for power; Thursday, April 16, 2009; Call it Andy Stern gone wild. Critics say the man behind the Service Employees International Union, long hailed as a visionary within the modern American labor movement, is too ambitious and could hurt his cause.
How did so many experts get their forecasts so wrong?: Difficulty, missed signs and lingering boom-time euphoria all contributed to inaccurate predictions; Sunday, April 5, 2009; Many in Nevada’s relatively small ranks of economic analysts saw conditions as much sunnier than they were, including a prominent economic forecaster, a leading UNLV economist and gaming industry analysts.
Rival unions’ efforts to reconcile will be visible to valley nurses: Friday, March 20, 2009; After a yearlong battle to represent nurses at three St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, the Service Employees International Union and the California Nurses Association have reached a peace accord.
New coalition, backed by SEIU, leaves Culinary out: Its goal: Help organize gaming workers here and in Atlantic City; Tuesday, March 17, 2009; The AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest labor federation, and the Service Employees International Union, the nation’s largest union, announced Monday the creation of the Gaming Workers Council, a coalition of unions dedicated to organizing workers in the gaming industry.
His slice of the city, fading: Robert Moore unofficially presides over the site of the planned city hall; Sunday, March 15, 2009; Gas station manager Robert Moore is thumbing through his latest science fiction novel when, from out of the dark, two women approach his cramped attendant’s booth.
Culinary parent’s battles threaten national union federation: Saturday, March 14, 2009; In 2005, a group of leading unions, including Culinary parent organization Unite Here, changed the landscape of the American labor movement by breaking away from the AFL-CIO and forming its own labor federation, Change to Win.
No contract, but dealers benefit from going union: Monday, March 9, 2009; Organized casino dealers at Wynn Las Vegas and Caesars Palace still lack union contracts after more than a year of bargaining. And though neither group appears any closer to a deal, labor leaders say members are reaping the benefits of unionization.
Experts doubt LV chamber’s claim against card check: Friday, March 6, 2009; Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce lobbyists visited Washington this week armed with a new argument against card-check legislation.
Unions clash as card check lies in wait: Civil wars aren’t new, but they threaten card-check effort; Wednesday, March 4, 2009; Nationwide, unions are fighting among themselves at a time when they should be marshaling their forces to win their biggest priority since the Great Depression, card check.
What led to plan to build city hall absent voter OK: Wednesday, March 4, 2009; The chain of events leading to Las Vegas’ efforts to build a new city hall without voter approval began in 2005, when a pair of New York real estate investors started assembling property in a blighted part of downtown.
Ethics complaint filed against Ross: Friday, Feb. 27, 2009; A group of neighborhood activists has lodged an ethics complaint against Las Vegas City Councilman Steve Ross, alleging that he has violated state ethics laws by using his post to further the interests of the Southern Nevada Building and Construction Trades Council, which he heads.
Hopes lowered for workers’ comp overhaul: Labor-friendly legislature aside, business will press recessionary concerns; Monday, Feb. 23, 2009; To hear the leader of the Nevada AFL-CIO tell it, the workers’ compensation system in Nevada is a crime, cheating employees out of treatment for legitimate injuries and all but encouraging employers to fire injured workers.
Ross keeps voting despite warning: City hall issue is latest in which he has possible conflict; Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009; During the time Steve Ross has held his post on the City Council and heading the construction trades council, he has voted to approve at least $80 million in union contracts benefiting his members.
Business travel boosters go on the offensive: Obama’s remark hits nerve among groups that say Vegas is meeting-friendly; Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009; Not taking any chances, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority will launch a six-figure ad campaign this month aimed at correcting any misperceptions created by remarks from President Barack Obama.
Good stop, bad stop: Vegas’ parallel pitches — Corporate-friendly! Hedonism capital! — are at the center of Obama-Goodman storm; Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009; OK, Nevada, we see you winking. President Barack Obama took a swipe at Las Vegas this week as an inappropriate place for corporate execs to meet. Now the president is talking about it. So are a lot of people. You can’t buy that kind of publicity. Does Nevada deserve a retraction? Or should Obama repeat the line a few more times?
Billy Joel: Everyman or nobody?: After the announcement that Billy Joel would play Vegas on Valentine’s Day, debate raged in the Sun newsroom over the merits — and demerits — of the piano man.; Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009; Brian Eckhouse loves Joel; Michael Mishak, he’s a Springsteen man.
Union power struggle escalates: Unite Here’s review board seeks federal probe as leadership battle poses threat to election; Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009; Unions want President Barack Obama’s pick for labor secretary, Rep. Hilda Solis, to be an advocate for workers’ rights who will advance an agenda that will tilt the balance of power back to organized labor.
Culinary parent union Unite Here to remain unified: Monday, Feb. 9, 2009; The Unite Here executive board voted Monday afternoon to remain unified after General President Bruce Raynor proposed a divorce. Unite Here is the parent union of Culinary Workers Local 226, the largest and most powerful union in Nevada.
Union looking past the paycheck: In redevelopment area, it wants assured ‘community benefits’; Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009; In the showdown between Culinary Union leader D. Taylor and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman over the city’s downtown redevelopment plan, a larger issue has been overlooked.
Arguing against card check, Ensign cites election that never was: National Labor Relations Board backs Culinary’s version of how it organized MGM Grand; Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009; Nevada Sen. John Ensign revised Las Vegas labor history this week when talking on a cable television public affairs show about the dangers of the card-check bill pending in Congress.
Grocers hear pitch opposing card check: Management labor lawyer tells group here legislation would be bad for business; Friday, Feb. 6, 2009; The conference room was packed, and the men at the podium told the crowd that, whether they realized it or not, they were in the midst of World War III. The presentation was titled “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble!!!”
Peggy Pierce, Democratic state assemblywoman: Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009; Peggy Pierce came to Las Vegas for a career in show business, but found work as a housekeeper and food server.
Localities to spend more than $1 million on lobbyists: Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009; Southern Nevada’s local governments are poised to spend more than $1 million in public funding on outside lobbyists to represent their interests in Carson City, where the 2009 legislative session opens on Monday.
Big union reels as card-check fight looms: Culinary leader in Vegas calls parent union chief’s actions ‘undemocratic’; Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009; At a time when Big Labor is pushing for one voice to win its most ambitious priority since the Great Depression -- “card check” legislation that would make it easier for workers to organize -- one of the country’s largest and most progressive unions is busy fighting its own civil war.
City committed to project as Culinary pushes to handicap it: Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009; Mayor Oscar Goodman and other city officials say they’re moving forward with their grand plans for a new city hall – price-tagged between $150 million and $267 million – for several key reasons.
What's at stake, for those who need and care: Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009; Thousands of Nevadans are feeling the effects of budget cuts, while bracing for the worst. Here are some of their stories.
Older workers ‘bumping’ young down jobs ladder: Those who need experience most are finding it ever tougher to get; Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009; For a variety of reasons, young adults are being forced out of the labor market as older workers take part-time and retail jobs that were once the province of the younger and less experienced.
Wal-Mart sensing a new political day?: Settlement of Nevada wage-and-hour lawsuits may be a nod to a more labor-friendly administration; Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008; Employees forced to work off the clock. Workers locked in overnight.
Slowdown offers Nevada a chance to look inward, plan for long term: Saturday, Dec. 27, 2008; That big sigh you hear is Nevada catching its breath.