LAS VEGAS, Sept. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- Today, the Culinary Union filed another round of unfair
labor practice charges against the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las
Vegas with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The
Las Vegas-based casino is owned by
Toronto-based Brookfield Asset
Management Inc. These charges come just 12 days after the
Las Vegas casino worker's union
filed its first set of charges against the casino for engaging in
illegal labor practices.
The Culinary Union filed the second set of charges in the
regional office of the NLRB on September 20, 2017 alleging the
company has rules suppressing employees' free speech, including
prohibitions against saying anything to discredit the company,
talking about personnel matters, saying negative things about the
company on social media, engaging in "rebellious" behavior, etc.
Despite Hard Rock Las Vegas' claim that it wants employees to be
able to "express themselves" they are prohibited from wearing union
buttons.
The Culinary Union filed the first set of charges on September
8, 2017 alleging the company in anti-union communications to its
workers promised to work on solving their workplace "challenges"
instead of them choosing to have a union, falsely accused the
Culinary Union of stealing and selling employee contact
information, and giving employees the impression that it is futile
to engage in collective bargaining.
Earlier this month, the Culinary Union called on the property's
owner, Brookfield Asset Management, to agree to a fair process that
assures Hard Rock Las Vegas' housekeepers, food servers, cooks, and
other non-union workers have the opportunity to decide whether they
want union representation in an atmosphere that is free from
management pressure tactics.
"Hard Rock management's decisions to engage in these alleged
activities against workers and Brookfield's complicit silence is incredibly
disappointing," said Geoconda Argüello-Kline,
Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union. "This is why Hard
Rock workers need a fair process that is free from threats,
intimidation, and interference to determine whether they want to
unionize. Most major casino employers have agreed to this fair
process allowing workers to make their own choices and Brookfield has agreed to this process outside
of Nevada."
Workers say a fair chance to decide on unionization can
help assure that the casino's owner, Brookfield Asset
Management, follows the path of nearly all major casino employers
in Las Vegas by ensuring the
property's workers are retained in the course of a sale. The
Culinary Union, which represents 57,000 workers on the Las Vegas' Strip and downtown casinos, has
worked to ensure worker retention is the standard for the
Las Vegas gaming industry.
"We do not think this type of activity is in line with interests
of Brookfield Asset Management's many partners, including the
property's primary lender," said Argüello-Kline.
Brookfield Asset Management Inc. is a Canadian asset manager with
approximately $250 billion in assets
under management, including the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las
Vegas. GIC, the sovereign wealth fund of Singapore, holds the first mortgage on the
casino resort. "We do not think the good people of
Singapore nor the headline and
risk-averse stewards of the nation's resources would be pleased by
such activities," said Argüello-Kline.
Amidst labor dispute, Teamsters Union Local 986 are calling for
worker retention at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Las Vegas.
Learn more here.
ABOUT THE CULINARY UNION:
Culinary Workers Union Local
226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent
over 57,000 workers in Las Vegas
and Reno, including at most of
casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas. UNITE HERE represents
270,000 workers in gaming, hotel, and food service industries in
North America.
The Culinary Union is Nevada's
largest immigrant organization with a diverse membership that is
approximately 55% women and 56% Latino. Members - who work as guest
room attendants, bartenders, cocktail and food servers, porters,
bellmen, cooks, and kitchen workers - come from 167 countries and
speak over 40 different languages. The Culinary Union has been
fighting for fair wages, job security, and good health benefits for
working men and women in Nevada
for over 82 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
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SOURCE Culinary Union