Station loses again; Starwood data raided

Station Casinos continues to be at cross-purposes with the National Labor Relations Board. Its latest misstep was stonewalling the Culinary Union with regard to labor talks at Green Valley Ranch. NLRB Chairman John Ring ruled, “By failing and refusing since July 23 to recognize and bargain with the Union as the exclusive collective bargaining representative of employees in the appropriate unit, the Respondent has engaged in unfair labor practices…” Ring ordered that Station stop stalling and initiate good-faith talks with the Culinary. By this time it should be clear that Station was talking up its sleeve when it claimed it would honor the results of secret-ballot elections.

S&G supported Station’s insistence on such votes instead of card-check unionization. Now it’s time for Station to put its money where its mouth is. Despite a 78% vote at Green Valley in favor of unionization, Station continues to fight the outcome of election in the courts. It’s engaging in a similar rearguard action at the Palms. Instead of negotiating with their employees as equals, the Fertitta Brothers continue to have to dragged kicking and screaming into the 20th century. It’s high time those boys grew up.

* Marriott, which has a huge Las Vegas presence, including SLS Las Vegas and thorough domination of the Las Vegas Convention Center area, has seen its Starwood-branded properties hacked and pillaged for four years. Of course it’s the customer that is the victim of Starwood’s laxity. Affected brands are W Hotels, St. Regis, Sheraton, Westin, Element, Aloft, The Luxury Collection, Le Méridien and Four Points. I guess we can be thankful that former Las Vegas Sands COO Michael Leven never got around to finishing the St. Regis tower at Palazzo. Small favors and all that.

According to the Boston Globe, “The company said credit card numbers and expiration dates of some guests may have been taken. For as many as two-thirds of those affected, data exposed could include mailing address, phone number, email address, passport number, Starwood Preferred Guest account information, date of birth, gender, arrival and departure information, reservation date and communication preferences.” The “approximately 500 million guests” (!) whose identity has been compromised are being belatedly informed starting today. (Since Starwood has ‘only’ 21 million members in its loyalty program there is undoubtedly a great deal of duplication required to reach that 500 million number.)

It took Starwood the better part of three months to decrypt the nature and scope of the hacking, which is why it is only making headlines just now. Wall Street gave Starwood the back of its hand, with stock prices falling 5%. CreditCards.com analyst Ted Rossman told the Globe, ‘‘The names, addresses, passport numbers and other sensitive personal information that was exposed is of greater concern than the payment info, which was encrypted. People should be concerned that criminals could use this info to open fraudulent accounts in their names.”Me, I’m worried that a couple of stays at Element may have opened our family to data theft.

* On his way out the door, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) has inked a deal with the Forest County Potawatomi that could be a problem for his successors. The genesis of the agreement stretches back to pre-Walker days, when then-Gov. Jim Doyle (D) was
dickering with the Potowatomi, whose Milwaukee casino is one of the nation’s largest. If another casino is built within a 30-50 mile radius of the Potowatomi facility, the tribe can cut its revenue-sharing with the state by as much as $250 million. (An even-more-generous deal with the Potowatomi was nixed by Bureau of Indian Affairs in 2015. Although Walker puts future governors between a rock (less tax revenue) and a hard place (inhibiting new casino development), it locks in Potowatomi revenue sharing through 2031. That certitude, at least, is something for which future administrations can be grateful.

* The sudden demise of Megabus service to Las Vegas spells gloom and doom for bargain hunters. FlixBus continues to ferry tourists to Sin City at low prices but it remains to be seen how well this business model holds up. It certainly calls into question the viability of (far more expensive) new rail service from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.

* Jewelry sales may seem an unlikely economic indicator but their lagging performance in China portends a slowdown for Macao. Credit Suisse analyst Cameron McKnight says the bling deficiency is “a possible headwind” for the enclave. On the other hand, Swiss watch exports were up 7% (yes, “Swiss” watches from China), which is encouraging news for Macao. Then again, Donald Trump has said it is “highly likely” he will impose more tariffs on China, which will retaliate in comparable fashion, causing a dizzying swirl for those trying to forecast the Macanese future.