Published 12 Jul, 2012
After five years of fighting for a contract with Caesars Palace, a contract will be presented to nearly 560 Caesars Palace dealers for ratification on July 27.
The contract will ensure maintenance of existing wages and health care benefits, just cause for termination, and preservation of the dealers right to challenge tip sharing.
“We are sending a clear message to the strip, TWU is not going away,” said Joe Carbon, Director of TWU’s Gaming Division.
Most importantly, the contract secures their jobs as Nevada is an at will state which allows for employers to terminate workers and change working conditions at any time for any reason.
Tip-sharing, a prominent issue amongst casino dealers, is also addressed in the contract. In the contract, there are numerous mechanisms implemented to ensure the casino itself would have to show a competitive need for tip sharing and negotiate the specific terms with TWU while preserving the dealers’ right to challenge that policy.
“I will no longer have to worry, will lose my job today when I come in,” said Paula Angelos, a dealer for the past 18 years. “It’s an excellent first contract to build from.”
It may have been a long process, but it has been a successful one for TWU. After securing contracts for Wynn Las Vegas dealers in 2010, the dealers at Caesars Palace voted in 2007 to be represented by TWU and have been negotiating ever since.
“Although it has taken years Local 721 leadership has shown that when we fight we win,” said TWU International President James C. Little. “We knew this was going to be a long struggle, and we saw it through. We are building real power for dealers throughout Las Vegas.”