Union Busters

This page is part of the Caesars Palace Dealers "Archives". These are the original pages used to organize the Dealers of Caesars Palace.

At the bottom of this page we will post responses to the actions management takes during "The Drive".

You can expect management to call a mandatory meeting, or many, to try to squash this drive.

They will feed false information to their “friends” who are amongst us so their word will spread that way.

We heard that Mr. Loveman rushed to AC to offer the Dealers there "FREE INSURANCE" if they didn’t organize (which would have been illegal, at that point, for him to make that offer if he actually did).

Well we guarantee you that if their vote had failed they would still be paying for insurance today. Last time we had a drive like this, management called a meeting and told us lies and made promises they haven't kept.

The people who put policies into place that are designed to fire us and none to reward us?

Union Busters and Caesars Palace Actions/Statements

Their Actions/Statements and Our Responses

December 8, 2007 - Management are making us pay for the "closed" meetings! They do NOT open the games and schedule extra Dealers for "pushes", resulting in fewer games open and a larger "spread", essentially making US PAY to attend their brainwashing sessions.

In addition, any In-House Organizer is NOT being allowed to attend ANY of the meetings. Why not? Because they do NOT want the Dealers to hear the "TRUTH" from the IHO's. They want to CONTROL the Dealers who they are inviting into their little meetings. Pissing people off is what it is doing. They want to "educate" us THEIR WAY and NOT with "both sides" of the story!

They are FINALLY letting the PCD's into our meetings! WHY? Because of the website is why! We have criticized them for "dividing" us. WE ARE MAKING CHANGES even without the Union representing us yet! However, if we vote "no" for the Union, it will all change back and they will punish us to the max! We MUST vote yes to protect ourselves from these greedy viscous executives! They want to be "King" and are going to do everything they can to maintain their ultimate CONTROL over us!

November 30, 2007 - They are pulling Dealers into a "captive audience" style meeting, 25 at a time today. Evidently it has just been Wike in there taking a few shots at the Union and pleading for a second chance to make things right. Sorry Jimmy, it's to late. What is very "wrong" about these meetings is that not only have they scheduled a mass number of extra Dealers to give the pushes, but they are not opening all of the games. Fewer games open, more Dealers in the pool, lower tokes. CP is making US pay for these meetings out of our pockets! When will they EVER learn? By the way, the Graveyard Dealers had ZERO meetings, they were excluded.

November 16, 2007 - Management has placed flyers with the date of the Vote and a statement about upcoming meetings with the "topic" being "Who is the TWU". We too will tell everyone, as we have been doing all along, "who the TWU is". We wager we will give everyone MORE info on the TWU than management will! Keep in mind this though, EVERY TWU "Local" is autonomous! This means they will NOT dictate to us how to run our Local 721! We set the rules! We are the Union!

November 9, 2007 - We heard that the newest round of "voluntary meetings" was the same rhetoric, "we want to set up a dialogue with the dealers", "we are not going to take your tips", "we can't help the escalation of insurance cost", "we have the same insurance".

We also heard that some Dealers upon coming in to work "late" because of attending the meeting, they were told they were going to receive a 1/2 point for being late. They were told the meetings were not "mandatory". Then a little bit later management back-peddled (again) and informed those who were told they were going to get points for being late that they "changed their mind" and no points would be given. Just another example of the unorganized methods they use!

November 8, 2007 - A "VOLUNTARY MEETING" has been called for Thursday the 8th at 7pm and 8pm and again on Friday the 9th at 10am and 11am. Evidently they do not want anyone from Graveyard attending these meetings, because otherwise they would have scheduled a time for them to come as well. We guess they don't really care about EVERY Dealer at Caesars Palace! Evidently, ONLY EIGHT Dealers showed up for the meeting prior to Swing Shift. Because of the turn-out, we are going to assume that any meetings in the future will be made MANDATORY.

When the TWU holds their upcoming meetings for all of us, they will NOT be "mandatory".

October 26, 2007 - WOW! You all know what happened to the non-union cocktail waitresses at the Rio a few years back yes? Well, they were ALL fired and made to reapply for their jobs as "Bev-a-tainers". Not all got their jobs back, and for those who did, they lost all seniority and benefits and had to start from day one all over again.

Well, guess who's "brainstorm" that was? MR. TOM JENKINS! He admitted to it being his idea in the meeting! The very same guy who is now holding meeting with the Dealers and making false promises to all of us! If he can connive such a thing to do at the Rio, what else is he capable of? He showed no mercy to them, why will he us?

October 25, 2007 - Mr. Tom Jenkins, VP of Harrah's Western Division, is now heading up the new round of meetings.

People are questioning the days these meetings are being held on. The days have been Thursday and Fridays. Why? Well, the people heading these meetings are the Monday-Friday 9-5 gang! They do NOT want to come in on Saturday, when there are the most Dealers working, because they do not want to disrupt their weekend! They have tee times!

Mr. Jenkins said in Thursday's meeting with Swing several things: We will have to strike; wait to see what the Wynn Dealers get for a contract, then we would be foolish not to organize when they get theirs; the TWU has already had one failed effort in LV organizing Dealers; contract negotiations start from zero. We will respond to all these "Union Busting" statements;

First of all, strikes. A strike is ONLY called and done when the MAJORITY OF ALL DEALERS VOTE TO DO SO! The Union DOES NOT CALL A STRIKE! The Union may suggest to the Dealers that a strike may be necessary, but it is the decision of the rank and file ONLY! A strike would ONLY be called if there was an impasse in negotiations. There are other things that can/would happen BEFORE any threat of a strike. Things like a Federal Mediator assisting in negotiations. STRIKES ARE VERY RARE! We know this last summer the MGM/Mirage was holding out with their talks with the Culinary. Did the Culinary Strike? NO! They reached an agreement, and it was probably the best agreement they have ever had! STOP MAKING US OUT TO BE IDIOTS HARRAH'S!!!!!!

Wait for the Wynn Dealers to get their contract. NO WAY! That is exactly what they would want us to do! Wynn will NOT sign a contract UNTIL the Nevada State Supreme Court makes their decision. Why would he? The toke/floor issue will be the last thing on the table with Wynn negotiations while Wynn awaits the decision of the court. If we wait, and the decision is in favor of Wynn, WE LOSE! It does NOT matter what Mr. Jenkins says about our tokes and the Floor, DO NOT TRUST HIM! They will come up with some BS excuse as to why they have reversed themselves and then take our tokes for redistribution! They know if we organize NOW they will not have that option!

Contract negotiations start from "zero". That is outright bullshit! As soon as we file for a Union election, NOTHING CAN BE CHANGED until the Union is voted in and then ONLY through negotiations! Another words, as soon as we file basically have a contract because they can make no changes! We start negotiations from that point and from what we have! This is FEDERAL LAW! They may be able to manipulate State Law, as in the case of Wynn, but they can NOT manipulate Federal Law! When Jenkins makes the "start from zero" statement, he is misleading all of us! The proof is in the NLRB Act ! How can we trust ANYTHING he has to say when he misleads us with that statement?

The TWU had failed efforts in LV in the past. Not true! First of all, the Frontier DID get a contract! They even tried passing out copies at the first meeting! Granted, it was NOT comparable to what the Culinary has, but it WAS a start! Listen, we must first learn to crawl, then we learn to walk, then we learn to run, then we learn to sprint, then we learn to fly then we learn to soar! As for the failed efforts at the Trop and Stratosphere, it was the DEALERS FAULT for not staying focused and continuing with their drive! It was NOT the TWU's fault! WE ARE THE UNION! We must do the work, and we have a great many who are willing to do it!

The TWU is here to stay! We met with the #2 man in the TWU just yesterday. There are many things in the works. It all takes time to get everything coordinated. Nothing "just happens". As long as we stay focused and do not listen to their BS or fall victim to their "feel good" tactics, we WILL PREVAIL! If we give up, what will we have in a year? Or in five years? What did we have just 5 years ago? More than we have today! We continue to lose! WE MUST STOP THE BLEEDING!

They send in a man who's livelihood depends on the bottom line to talk to us. A man who if the bottom line drops, so does his bonus! When we organize the bottom line will drop! Why? Because they have to take from their record profits and compensate us is why!

Jenkins made the statement that gaming revenues are up 16%. So where is our 16% bonus or wage increase? We guarantee he got his!

JW had a meeting with the Dealers Committee (why he did not address EVERY Dealer, like at the mandatory meetings is beyond us), and it seems that management is willing to let us have back our Hospital and Death Benefit tokes!

First of all, we have been told that the Dealers MUST "re-vote" on the Hospital/Death Tokes! WHAT? They are already in our by-laws!

Just the fact that they are dictating to us that we MUST re-vote on the issues is management STILL controlling our by-laws!

For a by-law to be changed/added/removed we have an established procedure we have followed for decades. First, a petition MUST be signed by 50% of the Dealers on one shift. The petition is presented to the Dealers Committee. They then draft the vote. Then EVERY Dealer from EVERY shift must vote on the issue. For a change to be implemented the vote MUST pass by 50% of ALL Dealers at Caesars Palace.

We were told that certain by-laws would be allowed. There was a "list". We want ALL of our by-laws reinstated!

What is to prevent them from anytime in the future to take over our by-laws again? NOTHING! How many times has management changed in the last 10 years? MANY! What is to stop a new management team from doing what these guys have done? NOTHING!

We have only one way to fully protect our by-laws and our tip income, and that is with a Collective Bargaining Agreement! Without a "contract" we are still vulnerable!

What about the Nevada Supreme Court decision when it is handed down? How can we protect ourselves from that? Their "word"? They can change their "word" any time they want!

What about "seniority"? What about "wages"? What about "benefits"? What are they going to do about those? NOTHING!!!! And if they do anything, what is to prevent them to change them back for the worse in the future, like they have already done? NOTHING!!!!

Look at what we are accomplishing with "just" the "threat" of organizing! Imagine what we can accomplish when we actually "ARE" organized! Plus we will have everything in a "binding Collective Bargaining Agreement" and NOTHING can be changed without NEGOTIATING with us!

If a bank robber returns the money he stole, is he any less guilty? NO! Does it mean he will never rob a bank again? NO!

Again, DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THIS "FEEL GOOD" TACTIC! The by-laws were ours in the first place!

Please, make sure you talk to EVERY Dealer at Caesars Palace about this and tell them to please "hold the line" and not to be fooled!

October 20, 2007 - We heard that Mr. Selesner made the statement to the affect, "The new company coming in is great! Actually, they extended me another five years!" Our reply to that is, we thought you said the website "lied" when it mentions about "you" having a contract (Actually, we have refrained from using anyone's names except here on this page and Loveman's, so can't pinpoint where we have said Selesner has a contract. Maybe it was a "reader" who wrote in?), but you said at the meeting you were extended five years? Hmmmmmm......Curious.

We heard one Dealer made a comment about the "Focus" meetings we were all forced to go to and that while there they taught us "you have only one chance to make a customer happy". Well, Harrah's had ONE CHANCE to make us happy, and they have blown it big time!

October 19, 2007 - As we have explained MANY times, we can not tell exactly WHO has visited the website, but we can tell you what servers, such as Cox.net, Embarq.net, etc... We are provided with "IP" numbers that lead back to servers ONLY. That is far as we can see.

With that in mind, we are now going to provide you all with some information about "Harrah's Servers" and TWO "IP" addresses:

IP Address #12.104.204.211 belonging to "Harrah's Entertainment" located in Memphis Tennessee has been on our website a total of 3019 minutes (50.31 hours) and have made 2,184 page views.

IP Address #12.104.204.212 belonging to "Harrah's Entertainment" located in Memphis Tennessee has been on our website a total of 1692 minutes (28.2 hours) and have made 1,649 page views.

They have been visiting the website every day since August 21st. Yes, we know they are watching. They have been on a total of 4711 minutes (78.51 hours) and have a total of 3833 page views.

They are very aware of our issues and have been for two months. What have they done to correct anything? They have done NOTHING to correct anything!

They have had TWO MONTHS to make changes in our working conditions and have done not one thing!

October 19, 2007 - The first Mandatory Meetings were held. Management present were Selesner, Wike (with secretary) and the Director of HR. Some of the stuff they said:

They held up a Union Authorization Card and said, "By signing one of these you obligate yourself". That is an outright LIE! Right on the cards it says you are NOT obligated! What the Authorization Cards do is show the NLRB (Federal Agency) that the workers are requesting a vote for a Union. That is ALL they do! The cards are NOT even a "vote"! Management IS trying to deceive all of us! These practices by management are exactly WHY we need a Union NOW!

When asked about why the Dealers can no longer vote on by-laws and why our Hospital Tokes and Death Benefit Tokes were cancelled by management, their response was, "Dealer's toke by-laws only serve the few. Hospital Tokes and Death Benefit tokes only serve the few." What a crock! It is the FEW NOW DECIDING how we handle our tokes! The VP of Casino Ops and the VP of Human Resources! Dealer's "by-laws" are voted in by a MAJORITY OF THE DEALERS! These by-laws were NOT implemented by "the few". The process is one shift must petition and get a majority of their shifts signatures on a petition to call for a vote on a "by-law". Once that is complete, then ALL DEALERS VOTE on the proposed "by-law" and it is only enacted IF THE MAJORITY of ALL Dealers vote "yes". A very "democratic process"! Now, we are being DICTATED to like we are children with an allowance!

"The website is full of lies and fabrications" Really? Do they know who they are addressing at these meetings? They are addressing the DEALERS of Caesars Palace who are LIVING what is described on this website. Is "Favoritism" a "lie and fabrication"? Who was promoted yesterday and who was not? Was it done by seniority? Please, CP management, send in your feedback to us and point out the "lies and fabrications" on this website. We WILL post your messages with our responses. If you do not write to us, then what does that say? It says that your statement about the website being "full of lies and fabrications" is a lie and fabrication in itself. The Dealers at Caesars Palace know exactly how they are being treated and how they are not being treated. To tell the very people who are suffering that they are not suffering takes some kind courage. We would like to thank Caesars Palace management for calling these meetings to show, in person, who you really are and what you stand for and who you stand against. We expect a rush of support from your meetings. Thank you.

"We want to represent you" Our response to that is, CP management HAS represented us for decades and we get NO RESULTS! How many more decades to you want? They have had their chance over and over again to "represent" us and they have FAILED! What does a bartender make in wages? $17-per-hour! What does a FRONTLINE Dealer make? $7.65-per-hour TOPS after over 20 years service! What does a cocktail waitress pay for insurance premiums? ZERO! What does a Dealer with a family pay? HUNDREDS of DOLLARS EACH MONTH! No, they have represented us for decades and they have failed miserably!

"Why would you want baggage handlers representing you?" We respond by saying that Local 721 is autonomous from the TWU and all the officers from Local 721 are going to be Dealers. All members will be Dealers. It will be Dealers representing Dealers! It will be Caesars Palace Dealers sitting at the negotiating table!

"Union Dues of $40 per month is a lot of money!" We respond by saying, first of all, Union Dues DO NOT have to be paid in the State of Nevada, a "Right to Work State". Secondly, if we ever get just a $.50 an hour raise, that will more than cover any Union Dues. Third, the Culinary Dues have went up a total of $3 over the last 20 years!

"Yes, Insurance has went up a little bit, but it is very little money" Our response is, that that "very little money" is MORE than $40 Union dues which they just said is a LOT of money! Why does Culinary pay ZERO dollars and we pay hundreds?

"We have an "Open Door Policy" Our response to that is, their "open door policy" has NEVER solved anything! As a matter of fact, our Dealer's Committee was recently told "You will pay who we tell you to pay, when we tell you to pay them and how much we tell you to pay". Doesn't sound very "open door" now does it? Sure, we can walk in only to be dictated to!

"We will not do what Steve Wynn did with the Dealers tips" Our response to that is, PUT IT IN WRITING and in a BINDING AGREEMENT TODAY! If you can't then why should we trust you who continually take from us?

"We ourselves do not have contracts" Really? The President of Caesars Palace doesn't have a contract? LIES! The VP of Casino Ops was not just offered a 5 year deal? LIES! Lie to us once and we assume all you tell us is lies.

"You will have to go on strike" What? Are they saying they will not negotiate with us? That is a direct violation of Federal law! Wynn said that he would not negotiate, well The Wynn has been at the negotiating table 5 times already. How many Union workers at CP are on strike now? ZERO!!! When was the last Union worker at CP on strike? 24 years ago! Strike are VERY RARE friends! Do NOT believe their deceptive words!

September 19, 2007 - It has been announced that there will be no more "Spotlight 5's" performed. They give some lame excuse as to why, but we firmly believe that it is a "feel good" tactic. They are taking off the "pressure to perform" they way they want us to. This will reduce the number of "trips to the office" if a Dealer gets a bad "spotlight". It also takes away the ability of a supervisor to "target" someone they dislike, limiting their liability to have to answer to the NLRB if they target an in-house organizer.

August 2007 -- Here is where where we will keep all informed of the "tactics" being used by Caesars Palace and their "hired union busters". Check back here often!