That rising clamor you hear along the Strip isn’t just from weekend picketers at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. No, the Culinary Union has significantly ratcheted up the rhetoric against Strip operators MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment, and against Downtown behemoth Boyd Gaming. Having gone two and a half months without a contract, the union is losing patience, as is Bartenders Local 165, and they’re taking their fight to Wall Street. It’s difficult to say who’s to blame for the glacial pace of negotiations. Some ideas — like an alleged proposal by Caesars to index wage increases to its Las Vegas performance — appear to have been dead on arrival. Seriously, do you want the millstone of Caesars’ financial results around the neck of your salary?
Caesars’ labor practices — including increasing the quota of to be cleaned per shift — have been roiling the labor waters along the Boardwalk. The use of downloadable-slot technology is blamed for a fragmentation of service on the casino floor … and for increasingly inebriated patrons, who can order a drink at the push of a button. One cocktail waitress claims to have been punched in the face with a customer who was in their cups.
Over in Wisconsin, eight tribes have signaled their support for the Menominee Kenosha Gaming Authority. The Oneidas remain on the fence and two of the biggest players, the Ho-Chunk and Potowatomi tribes are against it. Given the somewhat feckless stance of Gov. Scott Walker (R) that all 11 tribes must support the Menominee, the latter might as well have zero allies. The Menominee have made noises have sharing revenue with other tribes, but how much of that can they realistically do without giving away the store?
Reservation shopping. There’s almost no realistic chance — short of divine intervention — that the South Carolina-based Catawba tribe can get a casino in North Carolina (nor that they should). However, just to make it official, Tarheel State Gov. Pat McCrory nixed the idea before ducking out a side door after a meeting by the state’s Commission on Indian Affairs. You might call it making policy on the run.
