Special
Report
Las
Vegas council mulls ways to use voice to speak for workers
By Arthur Jones
NCR Staff Las Vegas
It was supposed to be a working lunch, but the pizza on the side
counter had gone cold. The dozen people around the table were too intent on
what they were hearing to worry about food.
Three union representatives were making a presentation for the
groups support in attempts to unionize two local hospitals. The group,
the Las Vegas Interfaith Council for Worker Justice, does not recommend to
local casinos or hospitals or other employers that their employees
unionize.
If the committee involves itself, its to ensure that
theres a level playing field, that the workers right to unionize is
respected. Thats a fine distinction. But the pastors, rabbis and priests
around the table understand fine distinctions.
In many ways, Las Vegas, unlikely as it may seem, exemplifies the
new organizing efforts being undertaken by labor activists. It has replaced the
heavy industry cities of the Northeast and Upper Midwest as fertile territory
for organizing. Here unions are training and organizing long-overlooked folks
in the hotel, health care, auto rental and other service industries. The
efforts in this city also exemplify the new cooperation developing in many
areas of the country between labor organizers and religious leaders.
The clergy members were gathered in the conference room at Nevada
Partners, a free employment and job training service. Partners director Mujahid
Ramadan of the American Muslim Council is an Interfaith Council member.
At the table, Lenore Friedlaender, organizer for Service Employees
International Union, Local 1107, asked the committee, Can you communicate
with top management for us?
The local is seeking to represent two area hospitals. Friedlaender
said the owner, UHS -- Universal Health Services -- the third largest U.S.
for-profit hospital management corporation, is campaigning against the
union.
Were asking for corporate neutrality she said,
the same neutrality granted when the workers voted to unionize at Columbia
Sunrise Hospital. There, Sunrise Hospitals owner, Columbia/HCA,
Americas largest for-profit hospital manager, provided employer
silence, neutrality, access, she said.
Not until the SEIU staffer and her colleagues left did some
committee members relax enough to saunter over for pizza and sodas.
Back at the table, they weighed the request. This kind of
decision-making doesnt come easy. Some pastors and rabbis lead
congregations that include both workers and managers. Some congregants
dont like the involvement. One rabbi was told, Judaism isnt
unionism.
The Interfaith Council chair, Pastor Spencer Barret of the First
African Methodist Episcopal Church, told NCR, The Interfaith
Council is portrayed as a tool of the unions, but as long as we as a committee
are doing what our consciences dictate, it doesnt matter whether
were regarded as a tool or not.
Thats a second fine line, because a portion of the
councils financial support comes from unions.
The council will not endorse any action without unanimity around
the table. Wed lose credibility taking on the issues as a split
group, one member said.
These are poor people, said another. The
government doesnt care much about them. They would have no voice without
a faith voice. [The SEIU organizers] are asking that the employers not
intimidate the workers.
After further comments, the committee agreed to contact
managements at Valley and Desert Spring hospitals.
The members heard updates on previous committee involvement, such
as a prayer service at the local Alamo auto rental agency. The prayer service
was a component in the successful drive to organize Las Vegas Alamo. Other
Alamo units nationwide are now seeking union representation.
However, National is taking over Alamo, reported one
committee member, so if there is a problem with negotiations, we might be
asked to help again.
The monthly meetings agenda included an announcement on a
forthcoming worker memorial day -- for local construction workers killed on the
job. At 63,000 jobs, construction is the states fourth largest employer
after casinos (retail and government are second and third).
Gambling is Clark Countys economic life-support system.
There are more than 180,000-plus casino-related jobs, many of them worked by
people such as the African-Americans and Anglos who attend Franciscan Fr.
Michael Blackburns 260-family downtown St. James the Apostle Church.
The issues the Interfaith Council deals with are precisely those
of his parishioners, said Blackburn. They hit close to many homes, including
Blackburns.
Many parishioners work in the casinos. My mom works in
one, he said. They recently became unionized. My mom heard what the
union offered and liked what she heard. Before it became union she had very
little health care. Shed really got into debt because she had a
mastectomy and had to pay most of it by herself, and shes still paying
it.
St. James is used to involvement, Barrett said,
because the pastor they had in the 60s was involved in the civil
rights movement. The other thing is -- parishioners who go to St. James go
because they want to go. Most of them dont live in the area. They come
because they like what it stands for.
Not every involvement is a victory. Pastors are
results-oriented, said Barrett, and sometimes the results are slow
in coming. Barrett mentioned the Santa Fe casino that took to the courts
to stall union representation for six years, despite the fact that workers
voted for it.
Interfaith Council members include both ordained clergy as
individual members and member congregations (synagogues and mosques, plus
Methodist, Episcopalian, Baptist, Presbyterian, Unitarian and Church of God in
Christ congregations and three Catholic parishes). There are religiously
affiliated social service components (such as Catholic Charities, represented
by Marlene Richter), and lay members of congregations (such as Dean Ishman of
First African Methodist Episcopal).
It all doesnt sit well with some people.
Fran Dias, vice president of the antiunion Nevada Employees for
the Right to Work, has been quoted in the local paper saying, I think
its kind of strange religious leaders are taking their orders from union
bosses.
Yet Las Vegas newest casino-in-the-making, The Venetian,
understands the importance of the local clergys voice. Its trying
to get them on its side to oppose unionization. But when the Interfaith Council
and other clergy were invited to meet with Venetians management -- who
say they offer employees a better deal than the unions do -- omitted from the
invitation was the councils executive director, Mike Slater.
Las Vegas is one of only a handful of U.S. city-based interfaith
worker justice councils with a full-time executive director like Slater. Others
are Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Buffalo, Albany and San Diego. New York has a
half-time director.
Las Vegas Slater has grown used to slights such as being
left off a meeting list. A Minneapolis native, he worked with ACORN, part of a
nationwide organization of low-income families working in Minneapolis to
improve neighborhood conditions such as bank redlining before joining the SEIU
as an organizer.
I had a radicalizing experience there dealing with nursing
home workers, he said. The workers just wanted to improve their
working conditions, better wages and insurance, and be treated with respect by
management.
I saw the way these employers -- nice people you and I would
sit across the dinner table from -- the next day turn around and lie to their
workers. Brutalize them, fire them, intimidate them, play all sorts of tricks
on them when they wanted to organize.
I thought, People are never going to be able to
improve their working conditions when employers can engage in such
tactics, Slater recalled. So I came here [as executive
director of the well-established Interfaith Committee] in September to use my
community organizing experience to support organizing rather than simply watch
myself lose election after election.
The young Minnesotan, who thought one day hed be a history
or anthropology teacher, said of the Las Vegas work, Its important
to try to build a consensus around how we want the community to look. Because
its a clergy organization, it takes a longer time to build a consensus --
I mean if everyone is low-income its very easy to say, Get the
bank.
There is an advantage to an interfaith group, he said. While
everyone acknowledges in this day and age that justice is a long time
coming, Slater said, with a clergy organization its part of the
mission. The only choice is whether you duck it.
Obviously one of the big issues with the clergy is backlash
in their congregations, he said. We dont jump on every
bandwagon. We dont pick up on every contract dispute. With a clergy
organization you want to be very careful that you measure things
appropriately.
Thats why the pizza goes cold. Interfaith Council members
wont be rushed.
National Catholic Reporter, June 4,
1999
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