Gosh. This Chicago style of politics is horrible. Is this North Korea???
This is from a few years ago, about the Culinary Union and it’s tactics. This was written by the Nevada Journal and describes the union’s practices while trying to organize at the MGM Grand hotel. The union forced workers, particularly inon-English speaking workers, to sign cards in support of the union but used threats and outright lies to coerce them to do so.
“Where is Justice for the Working People?”
nj.npri.org/nj98/03/cover_story.htm
“”It was just very hostile,” Restori said. “If you did not agree with the other side, people no longer spoke. A wonderful place to work has turned into a frenzy—splitting up people, making enemies out of friends.”
Restori, originally from Pittsburgh, used to be a strong supporter of unions. Her husband was a member of the Steelworkers Union before they moved to Las Vegas. An employee of the MGM since its opening, Restori helped the Culinary Union Local 226 in its first effort to organize the hotel-resort until she realized it was taking advantage of people.
“Unions are good but not this one,” she said. “My feeling is that the Culinary Union has targeted—I will say—foreign people. They manipulated, tricked and fooled them and took advantage of their lack of knowledge of labor laws, their rights.
“They were saying, for instance, ‘Sign this card, you’ll get a free turkey. If you don’t sign, we’re going to send you back to Mexico.’ ”
This one is from 2004 from the Nevada Policy Research Institute. It describes the Culinary Unions merger with UNITE.
“Culinary’s Sinister New Partner”
www.npri.org/publications/culinarys-sinister-new-partner
Recent Washington Post Article
“In Vegas, Politics Comes to the Strip”
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/12/AR2008011202834_pf.html
Culinary officials have been prepping their union’s members on caucus rules — the doors close promptly at noon, and no late attendance, for example — at meetings for months. Although their endorsement of Obama came late, they predict a near-united front for him, adhering to the labor movement’s notion that division weakens a union’s hand, whether in contract bargaining or politics.
“We believe that everyone has the ability to choose on their own, but normally we all try to stick together,” said Jennifer Grote, 44, who works in food service at the Paris hotel-casino and will serve as a caucus captain on Election Day.
“You cannot divide union workers,” added Leain Vashon, a bell captain at the Paris.
Any members who want to oppose their leadership and support another candidate will have to do so in front of their co-workers, wearing their casino-issued work clothes identifying themselves as members of the union.
