[BBMW]

Workers at some downtown Las Vegas casinos vote to allow strike - Las Vegas Sun News

Culinary is rattling their sabers again. Usually these things settle, but if it goes to a strike, I can't see any of the properties having a hard time replacing the strikers, given that there is still a lot of unemployment in LV.

[Raiderman]

Originally Posted by BBMW

Workers at some downtown Las Vegas casinos vote to allow strike - Las Vegas Sun News

Culinary is rattling their sabers again. Usually these things settle, but if it goes to a strike, I can't see any of the properties having a hard time replacing the strikers, given that there is still a lot of unemployment in LV.

My personal thought is lock them out. Every last one of them. You don't show up for work, you're fired. But I also know that the culinary union runs this town, and they could cause a great deal of pain for the economy. That's what happens when a group is allowed too much power.

[EA]

How dare those people stand up for themselves.

[BBMW]

The can, but I bet there are a lot of people in Vegas that would take their jobs in a split second.

Originally Posted by EA

How dare those people stand up for themselves.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by BBMW

Workers at some downtown Las Vegas casinos vote to allow strike - Las Vegas Sun News

Culinary is rattling their sabers again. Usually these things settle, but if it goes to a strike, I can't see any of the properties having a hard time replacing the strikers, given that there is still a lot of unemployment in LV.

The reason these things settle is because it's unbelievably hard to replace these people. There are maybe a dozen people in Las Vegas who can step in and do my job without a vast amount of training. (There are C-D regulars who have had my food. I'm sure they'll vouch for that statement.) And there are maybe 200 people in Las Vegas who can be trained to do my job -- but it would take weeks. And that's just one cook at one fine dining restaurant at one resort. Ninety percent of our new applicants simply walk off the line their first day. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into. This isn't "Burger King," after all.

Yes, many of these kitchen positions could be staffed by trained monkeys. Less than half. But it's simply cheaper to cave in to the union and pay a little more to those of us who perform at a high level. (And thus letting the trained monkeys ride our coattails.)

I absolutely understand why people hate unions -- trained monkeys making all that sweet union money when they don't deserve it. Well, there's a flip side to that coin -- management could have fired them before they made it through their probationary period. Not my problem if management doesn't.

[BBMW]

How many of these places have anything anything like fine dining? I think I have an idea where you work, and none of them have restaurants anywhere near that level.

For the majority of the jobs these workers do, replacements could probably up to speed in a week at most. There may be a handful that require real skill. Of course, there would be disruption, and Culinary would set up a permanent picket encampment outside of any hotel that dared try this.

But IIRC the Frontier did it for years, until they sold out.

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

The reason these things settle is because it's unbelievably hard to replace these people. There are maybe a dozen people in Las Vegas who can step in and do my job without a vast amount of training. (There are C-D regulars who have had my food. I'm sure they'll vouch for that statement.) And there are maybe 200 people in Las Vegas who can be trained to do my job -- but it would take weeks. And that's just one cook at one fine dining restaurant at one resort. Ninety percent of our new applicants simply walk off the line their first day. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into. This isn't "Burger King," after all.

Yes, many of these kitchen positions could be staffed by trained monkeys. Less than half. But it's simply cheaper to cave in to the union and pay a little more to those of us who perform at a high level. (And thus letting the trained monkeys ride our coattails.)

I absolutely understand why people hate unions -- trained monkeys making all that sweet union money when they don't deserve it. Well, there's a flip side to that coin -- management could have fired them before they made it through their probationary period. Not my problem if management doesn't.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by BBMW

How many of these places have anything anything like fine dining? I think I have an idea where you work, and none of them have restaurants anywhere near that level.

For the majority of the jobs these workers do, replacements could probably up to speed in a week at most. There may be a handful that require real skill. Of course, there would be disruption, and Culinary would set up a permanent picket encampment outside of any hotel that dared try this.

But IIRC the Frontier did it for years, until they sold out.

Even the downtown resorts have their money-making fine-dining venues. (Banquets and fine-dining are where the money is made, and thus that's where the good cooks are.) Plaza has Oscar's, Binion's has their steakhouse and so on.

Since F&B accounts for roughly half of a resort's income these days, it's simply bad business to interrupt the workflow. If downtown does strike, there's no way I'd eat at any of those restaurants. Not because I'm a "union man." But because I know what happens when a bunch of chefs who normally stand around holding a clipboard actually have to cook. The casinos know this, too. And that's why they will settle. They'll hold out for the last possible minute to try and make the cooks sweat a bit. But they'll cave. It's pennies on the dollar compared to the alternative.

EDIT -- Incidentally, they're fighting to keep the medical benefits they already have, and for a 25 cent raise. Management wants them to pay a giant chunk of their salary every month for those healthcare benefits. (And the amount increases for larger families. Workers with several children would see a 40% decrease in take-home pay.) Of COURSE 99% voted to strike. The other 1% gets all their news from Rush Limbaugh.

[BBMW]

Yes, it's all about the health care. Premiums have skyrocketed, but the unions (and their members) refuse to pay more. At some point, it's going to be worth the casinos while to deal with a major strike and either replace or wait out the union workers, to cut their health insurance costs.

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

Even the downtown resorts have their money-making fine-dining venues. (Banquets and fine-dining are where the money is made, and thus that's where the good cooks are.) Plaza has Oscar's, Binion's has their steakhouse and so on.

Since F&B accounts for roughly half of a resort's income these days, it's simply bad business to interrupt the workflow. If downtown does strike, there's no way I'd eat at any of those restaurants. Not because I'm a "union man." But because I know what happens when a bunch of chefs who normally stand around holding a clipboard actually have to cook. The casinos know this, too. And that's why they will settle. They'll hold out for the last possible minute to try and make the cooks sweat a bit. But they'll cave. It's pennies on the dollar compared to the alternative.

EDIT -- Incidentally, they're fighting to keep the medical benefits they already have, and for a 25 cent raise. Management wants them to pay a giant chunk of their salary every month for those healthcare benefits. (And the amount increases for larger families. Workers with several children would see a 40% decrease in take-home pay.) Of COURSE 99% voted to strike. The other 1% gets all their news from Rush Limbaugh.

[Willy702]

I think we are overlooking the real issue. Downtown casinos don't have the same economics as the Strip. Culinary knows this, but can't get the rank and file to see it. The Strip has done their deals and Downtown generally follows the deals with slight tweaks. This time Downtown is saying it wants to significantly change. I am not about to draw conclusions or take sides, but this is the real issue which needs resolution. Maybe the resolution is Downtown cuts off Culinary, but I have my doubts.

[jtjtjtjt]

>>Workers with several children would see a 40% decrease in take-home pay.

And the rich get richer while the middle class declines and poverty grows.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMhvYeQPOcE