We would like to say, that we
did not want to "attack" Mr. Wike, but he continues to send us propaganda
letters, which he signs. So, we are left with no choice but to respond to the
person who signs the letters we are receiving.
First of all, Mr. Wike
"thanks us" for attending the meeting he held. Did we have a
"choice" to attend the meetings? No, we did not. We were pulled off
our games to go listen to his rhetoric.
He goes on by stating,
"We just don't think you need a Union, especially the TWU."
Well, we really don't care
what you think. An overwhelming majority of Dealers disagrees with you, which
is why they all sent in Authorization cards.
When Mr. Wike was asked in
several meetings, "If we were to be joining another Union, say the
Culinary, would it make a difference then? Would you support us
then?"
His response was, "I
didn't say that." Funny, he made that same response to several questions
asked of him.
He then gives his
"reason" he thinks we do not need a Union as, "Because you have
the highest toke job in town and the TWU can't guarantee any positive changes
for you."
We realize what we make in
"TOKES" Mr. Wike, you don't have to tell us. So tell us Mr. Wike,
WHAT positive change "guarantees" is Caesars Palace willing to put
in a legally binding agreement with the Dealers? NONE!
Next he says, "In fact,
the TWU's only experience in the casino industry was to negotiate the worst
contract ever for Dealers at the New Frontier."
Well, it was the ONLY
contract ever for the Dealers in Las Vegas wasn't it? By default it makes it
BOTH the "worst" and also makes it the "best" considering
it is the ONLY contract.
Besides, it was the Dealers
of the New Frontier who all AGREED to that contract now wasn't it? THE DEALERS
SIGNED IT! Did they have to? No they did not.
He goes on by saying,
"...unions can't guarantee more money, better benefits or that you keep
what you now have." followed by a PARTIAL QUOTE of an NLRB ruling.
Again, we will be as
redundant as Mr. Wike is by asking WHAT GUARANTEES WILL CAESARS PALACE PUT IN
A LEGALLY BINDING AGREEMENT with the Dealers of Caesars Palace? Will they put
in a legally binding agreement that they will NEVER take our tokes for
redistribution? NO THEY WILL NOT! So what is our only option if that is what
we want agreed upon? Tell us Mr. Wike. You can't and you won't.
Next he says, "...your
vote in the election will only decide whether you have the TWU speak for
you."
W-R-O-N-G!!!!!!!!! Why do
you continue to "twist" the "truth" Mr. Wike? And you want
us to believe you? When we vote for the Union, we will be voting the right to
"SPEAK FOR OURSELVES" at a negotiation table! What rights do we
currently have Mr. Wike? The right to go to HR and be told that there is
nothing they can do for us? That's what we have now, and it is NOT working!
He continues by saying,
"The TWU will tell you to vote them in to protect the "status
quo". What you have right now is the "status quo"."
Why do you continue to talk
to us like we are idiots? We know that what we have right now is "status
quo", but we also know, and Harrah's has proven it many times since they
have arrived at Caesars Palace, that ANYTHING can CHANGE on a whim of Harrah's
or an executive who may still feel "angry" because they could not
get a job dealing at Caesars Palace.
Tell us Mr. Wike, didn't you
take our toke by-laws away from us? The by-laws that the majority of the
Dealers of Caesars Palace voted in? YES YOU DID! So, what does us "now
having" status quo do for us if you can change the rules any time you
want? NOTHING!
However, once we vote the
Union in, YOU CAN NOT CHANGE THE RULES ON US ANY LONGER without the Dealers
(NOT THE TWU) agreeing on it! That is "locking
in" status quo! And that our friends is EXACTLY what scares Caesars
Palace the most! They lose control over us!
The next thing Mr. Wike says
really perplexes us. He basically contradicts himself in the same breath when he
says, "If you let the TWU gamble with what you have, they can't guarantee
that you keep everything, and you could actually end up with less. Caesars
Palace would "bargain in good faith", but there are no
guarantees in negotiations. The best way to protect what you have is to stay
away from the TWU."
Funny, he makes the
"claim" that CP will "bargain in good faith", but we could
lose what we have. That does NOT sound like "good faith" to us Mr.
Wike. And YES, the NLRA DOES GUARANTEE that we keep EVERYTHING once we
"lock in" status quo. Things may change in negotiations, but they
very well CAN CHANGE FOR THE BETTER as well. You liked to "brag"
about being the first property that signed the Culinary contract this past
summer, and what did they get from "good faith" negotiations? THE
BEST CONTRACT IN THEIR HISTORY! We guess they didn't lose much Mr. Wike.
The best way to protect what
we have is to LOCK IN STATUS QUO! Please, stop taking us for being
naive!
We have lost 401(k) benefits
WITHOUT the Union!
We have lost "days
off" through PTO (2 days a year less for most) WITHOUT THE UNION!
We lost our "toke
by-laws" WITHOUT THE UNION (they were ONLY returned to us after a very
long period because of the threat of the Union. And you proved to us that you
can take them away anytime you wish WITHOUT A UNION!)
Our Health insurance
premiums and costs have shot off the scale WITHOUT A UNION! Just several years
ago we were paying significantly LESS in premiums and our out-of-pocket costs
were $5 per doctor visit, $5 per prescription, and $100 per hospital stay.
MANY Dealers have discontinued seeking medical care this year because they
could not afford it EVEN WITH your terrible insurance plan! Now tell us, what
do the Union workers at Caesars Palace pay for insurance? Have they
"lost" in negotiations? NO THEY HAVE NOT!!!
Mr. Wike then says, "Next
week we will give you a lot of information about the TWU. Of course, the TWU
will tell you that "union dues are optional". Do you really think the
Union is here for free?"
First of all, EVERY UNION IN
AMERICA is a "non-profit organization". Is Harrah's? Let's ask Mr.
Loveman that one.
Union dues ARE OPTIONAL.
Educate yourself please Mr. Wike and stop lying to us. Check out the Nevada
Statutes: §
613.270 and also §
613.250 . Your letters are WHY we need a
Union and you are just reinforcing that.
What are you going to tell
us Mr. Wike? That the TWU has lost members, and as a result they have lost
dues? Anyone can see that by visiting the Department
of Labor's website. We can also look at the TWU's annual financial reports
there. You are NOT going to be telling us anything we don't know. Now, would
you like to know where the "lost members" have went? We will answer
that most efficiently when you try to twist that.
We would also like to tell
everyone that very soon, Harrah's will be losing 80,000 employees. Expect it
within the next few months. They will also be losing $1.8 billion dollars in addition
to another $1.7 billion dollars for a total of $3.5 Billion. Yes, we can
"twist the facts" too Mr. Wike, but prefer not to.
Next he says, "The TWU is
a dying union that's losing members and money."
Really? Read the above paragraph.
Go to the DOL website and check their financials. They had a total liability
of $64 for the year 2006 with well over 100,000 members. What does Harrah's
liabilities look like? We will tell everyone very soon.
As for the TWU dying,
nothing could be further from the "truth". Evidently you are unaware
of the ongoing Union elections and the numbers of members involved Mr. Wike.
Please. provide us with the "real facts". You want us to trust your
contorted facts and lies Mr. Wike? And you tell us we do not need a Union? You
are proving to us that we DO NEED A UNION! There is nothing more demeaning
than being lied to and provided twisted "facts" by those who are
"in charge".
Mr. Wike continues by saying,
"Caesars Palace is a gold mine for union dues. Don't be a pawn for the
TWU."
Funny, we look at it like,
"Caesars Palace is a gold mine for executive bonuses as they continue to
take from the Dealers and plan on taking their tokes to pay for other
employees wages and salaries." That move will cost us much more than any
"optional Union dues" Mr. Wike. Is that what we really want to
"GAMBLE WITH"?
We will finish up with the
same response as Mr. Wike:
"Please think it
through. Ask Caesars Palace to put their guarantees in writing. We can
maintain our "locked in" status quo indefinitely to stop all of the
losses we continue to suffer each year and to protect our tokes from being
taken for redistribution. We will NEVER have to go on strike as long as we can
"lock in" what we currently have, and voting "YES" for the
Union will do that, as provided by the National Labor Relations Act. What
Caesars Palace has to offer us is exactly what they have been taking away from
us for years, the loss of benefits, no significant pay increases, the complete
control over our tokes and the ugly possibility of seizing our tokes, to be
counted by someone other than the Dealers, only to be redistributed any way Caesars
Palace wants.
Then he signs the letter
"Respectfully". He has yet to EVER show any Dealer at Caesars Palace
any "respect".
REMEMBER THE HILTON!
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