Mandatory Meetings for dealers at the Flamingo

Although it is not illegal for any company to call mandatory meetings to discuss union issues, Flamingo President [Don M.] and his assistants (D F, Human Resources and P B, AGM) broke several federal labor laws last week during these sessions. These [alleged] breaches include:

1) Threatening to take away tips, benefits and declaring this an "act of war."

Mr. M alluded to the fact that he would weigh the possibility of putting up "no tipping" signs on all table games at the Flamingo.

2) Threatening employees that we will be punished if we engage in voting in a union.

"Guys walking around everywhere with clipboards monitoring each & every mistake."

3) Threatening to lay off dealers if a union is voted in.

"We will put in more slot machines and make the table spread thinner."

4) Threatening to curtail business and/or reduce employee benefits.

"Mr. M said that he would fight the unionization efforts and would close table games and train floor supervisors to deal in the event of a strike. He also said that we were all "replaceable" and he would not hesitate to do so in order to keep the games open.

5) Grant employees wage increases, special concessions or benefits in order to keep the union out.

We were all paid approximately $23.50 for the hour long meetings (an unprecedented amount, usually only paid our $6-7 hour wage for every previous mandatory meetings). New "tipping" signs were installed immediately after the meetings on the Rapid Roulette tables and there plans to move the smoking section back inside now after Mr. M forced the Flamingo employees to smoke outside in the 50-30 degree weather.

6) Create conditions intended to get rid of an employee because of his or her union activity.

Mr. M said conditions would become miserable at the Flamingo and sited an incident at the Wynn property where a dealer asked the floorman for a marker and the floorman's response was "get your union representative to do it for you."

7) Threaten workers or coerce them in an attempt to influence their vote.

D F put up several flyers on an overhead projector with the "facts" about TWU while Mr. M sited "facts" about what a shitty union it was and that we should not make the same mistake that the Wynn and Caesars Palace dealers made and join TWU. Furthermore, he repeatedly told us to "sit back and wait" to see what the other dealers got in their union contracts before deciding to vote. He said that so far the Wynn dealers have not reversed Mr. Wynns decision to share tips with non-gaming employees and it would be a "cold day in hell" before Steve Wynn ever backed down. Finally, he stated that the union cards are a "binding legal contract" and we could choose to fill out a form he would provide to rescind the decision to join the union.

8) Promise employees a reward or future benefits if they decide "no union."

Mr. M repeated his boasts of all the things Harrah's is doing to bring more business into the Flamingo and how these plans would benefit us all. When asked why dealers are the least paid wage employees in the casino, Mr. M went into a long winded explanation of how it is that bartenders, cocktail waitresses, stewards, and housekeeping all are culinary union workers and there was no way that TWU could possibly do the same thing for the dealers. He also stated that the Flamingo experienced "record drops" for New Years Eve and that there was no way that Harrah's could afford to give the dealers a wage increase.

9) Say unionization will force the company to lay off employees.

Mr. M stated that if more slot machines were installed to increase revenue, table games would be taken out and some people would be laid off.

10) Ask employees what they think about the union or a union representative.

Several floor supervisors (one ACM) asked dealers if they filled out a card and told them not to.

11) Start a petition or circular against the union or encourage or take part in its circulation if started by employees.

D F put up several flyers on an overhead projector with the "facts" about TWU while Mr. M stated what a horrible union it was and how they could do little or nothing for the Flamingo dealers.

12) Bar employee union representatives from soliciting employees memberships on or off the company property during non-working hours.

A dealer was stopped from handing out copies of the judges decision on unfair labor practices from the Wynn court decision while off the clock by a Casino Manager.

At the conclusion of these meetings, Mr. M then asked if there were any questions. When Mr. M asked why the company could not afford to pay for our insurance as Sheldon Adelson, owner of the Venetian does he stated that it wasn't economical and the only reason Mr. Adelson offers this benefit to his employees was to keep the union out. He also mentioned that at "casinos like the Venetian, they are looking for a certain type of person to hire"...what the hell does that mean?

At many meetings, any dealer that spoke up was repeatedly interrupted, and told that what they were saying was ridiculous, rumor, or untrue. In one such incident, a dealer spoke about the fact that he had personally been told by several guests that his/her casino host had told them NOT to tip the dealers. He was immediately interrupted and when he tried to pursue the issue, P B, AGM, got in his face and began to yell and act in a threatening manner. Several times Mr. M used the word "fuck"; very unprofessional. Basically, Mr. M said he would do everything in his power to make sure we did not unionize, and if we did he would be forced to treat us in a similar manner as Steve Wynn does his table games dealers.