Management at properties owned by Harrah’s Entertainment, the owner of Caesars Palace, held closed-door, mandatory employee meetings last month at the Flamingo, Harrah’s and Paris Las Vegas encouraging workers not to unionize. “Direct communication with management is a more efficient and appropriate way to handle disputes without interference from union bosses back east,” MGM Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman said. Union officials, who used similar Web sites during their organizing efforts at Caesars Palace, said the new Web sites are not indicators of which properties will be targeted next.Ī spokesman for MGM Mirage, which owns both properties, said the union is “welcome to try to relabel itself anyway it wants.” Two Web sites aimed at dealers at The Mirage and Mandalay Bay have been set up. The union has already taken other steps to organize dealers at other local properties. Once I create the division I can resource it better.” “Let’s build that structure in place to really give them the basics and be able to put resources into it. “Let’s start now because it’s at the ground floor,” Little said. So far, only dealers from Wynn Las Vegas and Caesars Palace held elections approving representation, but Little doesn’t believe it’s too early to set up the new division. The division will have autonomy to train shop stewards, elect fellow dealers to its board and direct future organizing efforts. Transport Workers Union International President James Little said the new division will allow money and resources to be allocated directly from the union board. Las Vegas Dealers Local 721 has operated as an affiliate of the New York City-based union’s transit division since dealers at Wynn Las Vegas approved a union in May. “We’re committed to organizing the dealers of Las Vegas and getting them a contract. “We’re committed to getting the job done and we’re not going away,” the division director, Joseph Carbon, said.

The Transport Workers Union of America’s top officials announced the new Las Vegas-based division during a special meeting Wednesday afternoon that drew nearly 130 local dealers. The international union organizing casino dealers on the Strip is forming a new gaming division to better focus its efforts to unionize locally.

Organizing casino industry union