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Security Professionals
A.C Dealers and Security Officers United
RESPECT FOR ACSP. ORG
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International Union * Security * Police * Fire Professionals of America - SPFPA
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Disclaimer: The SPFPA is not affiliated directly or indirectly with the UAW and/or any other union, however the SPFPA does support the UAW , AC Dealers, Wynn Dealers and Foxwood Forum who have fought and/or are fighting to
UNIONIZE for better Wages, Benefits and Working Conditions.
This website is Independently Run.
Bally's security officers vote on union June 3
Has officially announced that it has filed papers this week with the Atlantic City Gaming Commission to begin organizing Security Police Professionals working at all 11 Atlantic City Casinos.
Presently The SPFPA Represents Security Police Professionals working at all
3 Casinos in Detroit which includes MGM , Greektown and Motor City Casino as well as other casinos across the United States.
___________
Press of Atlantic City
February 24, 2007
Unions Could Target State's Tribal Casinos
Foxwood Casino Workers
are Fighting Back
AG Blumenthal helps win casino case
LOS ANGELES, June 4 (Reuters)
U.S. Indian gambling revenue grew 11 percent to $25.1 billion in 2006, nearly doubling from 2001, the National Indian Gaming Commission said on Monday.
The revenue numbers are based on audit reports of 387 gaming operations and represent amounts wagered less prizes paid.
Commercial casinos, such as those operated by MGM Mirage (MGM.N: Quote, Profile , Research), Boyd Gaming Corp. (BYD.N: Quote, Profile , Research), Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS.N: Quote, Profile , Research) and Wynn Resorts Ltd. (WYNN.O: Quote, Profile , Research), saw 2006 gross gaming revenue grow nearly
7 percent to $32.4 billion, according to the American Gaming Association.
Beware of
UNION - BUSTING Tactics at FOXWOOD
Casino
We have been hearing a lot lately about our “best interest” from the tribe and 4th floor. Like a Union would not be in our “best interest“. Signing a Union card would not be in our “best interest”. Having our concerns brought forward with a unified voice that could not be ignored would not be in our “best interest”. Having Foxnet pick and choose which questions and concerns get posted and answered is in our “best interest”. Having what they call excessive vacation time rescinded because we can’t use it, because they won’t approve it, is in our “best interest”. Cutting our benefits, bonus, and pay is in our “best interest”. Being forced to inhale vast amounts of cigarette smoke for eight hours a day in the last public place in Connecticut that allows it, is in our “best interest”.
All this professed concern about our “best interest” is truly heartwarming. It really does make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. But warm and fuzzy doesn’t pay the bills and neither does Foxwoods, when it acts in our so called “best interest”.
The tribe also believes the employee should speak for themselves and not involve a third party. But the third party is a fiction. The employees are the Union. So we have management on one side and the employees joined together in a Union on the other. Where is the third party?
So go ahead and take managements advice and speak, tell your EGC rep to bring your concerns forward. Oops, the company fired them. Well then, write to Foxnet. Oops again, they only answer the posts they like. The vast majority never see the light of day. And the answers they do give sometime don’t even answer the question asked. Can you feel things getting better already? No? Neither do we. This company has had fifteen years to get things right. They have failed miserably. In fact things are getting worse at an ever quicker pace. This company is completely incapable of doing the right thing by their employees. There is no way this company is going to listen to or address employee concerns without the employees raising their voices in unison. And the way to do that is to join together and form a Union.
So the company is against the employees getting together and forming a Union. How surprising. Of course anything that would benefit the employee would be opposed by Foxwoods. So they put out a position paper on what they think about Unions. Lets take a look at it. But first a big thank you to our management team for writing the memo. They have now made sure every employee knows the Union is here.
The small type is what Foxwoods says in their memo Titled “MPTN Position on Unions”. The LARGE type is our response to it.
“MPTN Position on Unions”
“The Mashantucket Pequot Tribe is a federally recognized Indian tribe and has established tribal laws, policies and procedures governing most areas of employment within the tribal organization.”
And every one of these “tribal laws, policies, and procedures” benefits only the employer. The employee is left defenseless and at the mercy of these constantly changing rules.
“It is our position that the federal laws permitting union activity do not apply to either the state or tribal governments.”
That “position” is wrong and they know it. Federal laws and the NLRB(National Labor Relations Board) rulings clearly do apply to Foxwoods. And these rulings have made it clear that the employees can organize a Union if they so choose. If these rulings did not apply to Foxwoods then they would not bother to state it. They would just ignore it. This statement is made to confuse the employees. Don’t fall for it.
“Nevertheless, our employees have been subject to certain union-organizing activities.”
Subject to? That is a misleading phrase. The employees have actively sought out Union help in organizing, and will continue to do so.
“It is important to us, as both a sovereign government and as an employer, to share with you our belief that a union is not in the best interests of our employees or of the Tribe, and the reasoning behind our decision not to recognize such activity on our lands.”
Here we get a little truth. It would definitely not be it the Tribes best interest to have to work with a Union. The same however cannot be said about the employees best interest. The employees best interest would indeed be best served by a Union contract that could not be changed at the whim of management. Changes that always go against the employees. Again we get the deception that it is in the Tribes power to recognize or not recognize Union activity on Tribal land. That decision has already been made in Washington. Washington says we can. Who are we going to listen to?
“We believe that the Tribe is in the best position to address the needs of our employees and to continue our practice of direct and open communication between management and employees.”
The same Tribe that has continually cut wages and benefits at every turn for years and especially in the last couple. The same Tribe that thinks one and two cent an hour raises are in the employees best interests. The same Tribe that thinks “direct and open communication” means they talk and we listen. They cut and we suffer.
“We have traditionally communicated with our employees informally and directly.”
Again, they talk, we listen. Communication is not a two way street at Foxwoods.
“Collective bargaining through unions is foreign to our tradition.”
Foreign to their tradition of “we don’t negotiate, we dictate“, or not to sound repetitive, they talk, we listen.
“It emphasizes the differing interests of employers and employees and formalizes conflict, rather than cooperation.”
Quite the contrary, it brings the employees and employers together in a common goal of ensuring that everyone is happy with workplace conditions, not just employers. Now the employer has a real incentive to keep the employee happy, and the workplace running smoothly.
“We further believe that many of the specific organized labor activities are detrimental to our employees, our employer-employee relationship, and to the successful operation of our organization.”
Specific organized labor activities are detrimental? Such as RESPECT for employees, work rules that don’t change daily, having seniority count for something, real pay raises, real job security, and unbiased employee relations? The employer-employee relationship is the worst it has ever been, with the employer constantly finding new ways to beat down the employee. And as far as the “successful operation of our organization”, is that what you call the ongoing and accelerating monthly revenue shortfalls? Real success would show the opposite. The only thing increasing at Foxwoods is the amount of excuses by the 4th floor, the blaming of the front line employees, and continuing cutbacks for patrons. This is what the 4th floor calls “Successful operation of our organization.” If we have much more of this kind of success, it’s goodbye Foxwoods.
“For example:
1. We do not believe any employee should be forced to pay dues or fees to a union just to keep their job. We provide our employees with employment opportunities, not the union.”
Forced? We are going to vote for and welcome in a Union. Dues are what the Union needs to stay strong and independent from management. The small dues we pay will amount to a small fraction of the pay and benefits we will receive.
Webmasters Comment: Our SPFPA Members call union dues JOB SECURITY... No one really pays dues because it is 100% Tax Deductable and if your dues were to amount to $30.00 per month a raise of $1.00 per hour would give you a $160.00 raise per month - your monthly dues = a profit of $130.00 per month.
Union dues are only charged after you negotiate a Written Union Contract Protecting your Job, Wages and Benefits...Don't be Fooled by the Union-Busting Your Going to Pay Dues Tactics
2. “Unions generally encourage employees to conduct themselves in a manner which is not in the best interests of our customers or employees.”
Right now the employees are unhappy and demoralized. Customer service is a joke. Is this the atmosphere we want to preserve? Is what we have now in the best interest of customers or employees?
“For instance, they may ask our employees to walk off their jobs or call out sick just to make a point.”
The point being we will not be treated the way you have been treating us for the past fifteen years.
“If we have workplace disruptions, there are other places for our customers to go.”
The customers know of these other places and are going there in record numbers.
“Less business here means that everyone suffers except the unions. This clearly does not create job security for our employees, it does just the opposite.”
Right now, the “less business here”, means everyone suffers except the 4th floor. By the way 4th floor, congratulations on your real 5% pay raises. And it was also good to hear your bonus would not be cut. How does our job security increase as revenue goes down? We could ask the slot attendants, but they were let go.
3. “How our employees feel about their jobs is important to us.”
Then you must have been aiming for depressed and demoralized. If so, you nailed it.
“We value and encourage their opinions and suggestions.”
That is why they have Foxnet. You can put in all the opinions and suggestions you like, and they will answer only the ones they like, at the same time claiming to answer them all.
“We try to provide a workplace environment based on trust and responsiveness.”
Ok, by a show of hands, who has trust in this management team?
How about their responsiveness to employee needs? Thought so, just the two gladatfoxwoods posters.
“This is best accomplished by direct communication without the intervention of a third party, such as a union, that focuses on dividing, rather than unifying.”
Again, we are back to “direct communication.” They talk, we listen. A Union would not divide the employees, it would unify them. That is the last thing our management team would want.
“Our pledge to you is quite simple.”
Another pledge and another empty promise. Just like the pay raise. Is there anyone left who believes in a management promise?
“We have and will continue to work hard at maintaining a positive work environment.”
Please stop working so hard. We can’t take it any longer.
“We understand our employees are essential to the quality of service we provide to our customers and are critical to our success.”
If you truly understood that, you would not of been enacting the pay and benefit cuts of recent years.
“Therefore, we are committed to providing exceptional benefits, competitive wages, and a safe and comfortable work environment that includes personal dignity, respect, and job security.”
ROFLOL! ( Rolling On the Floor, Laughing Out Loud)
This sentence says it all. If you truly made every management decision with this sentence in mind, we would not be in the mess we are in now. Instead it is just a stock statement you cut and paste to many documents and hope employees come to believe it through sheer repetition.
Does the safe and comfortable work environment include any ban on smoking in the Casino? Do you believe or have evidence that second hand smoke is “safe” for employees? Why do you insist on keeping the Casino the last outpost of smoking in the state of Connecticut?
“We will continue to listen to our employees and respond to their concerns,”
They listen and the response is to ignore or lie.
“rather than to the concerns of a union.”
Concerns of a Union are the same exact concerns of the employees, because the Union is the employees. The Union however cannot be ignored.
“We are dedicated to working together to keep our organization first and foremost in the eyes of both our employees and patrons.”
That ship has sailed. Lets hope a Union can stop the ship from sinking.
Join the Atlantic City Security Officers and Dealers who know the REAL TRUTH about Unionization ...YOU ARE THE UNION!
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