It may now seem as if trouble will not go away when it comes to the Culinary Union picket that is taking place outside the Cosmopolitan. It has now been reported that the Alliance to Protect Nevada Jobs was able to get video at a recent Culinary protest that included verbal abuse by some picketers. This is said to have occurred Oct. 5 and took place outside the Strip resort. The video was posted on YouTube. The Alliance has since said that it believes these actions were unwarranted and has asked that union officials intervene to stop these types of actions.
According to one Alliance member, “Lawmakers should see that the union bosses at the Culinary Union are engaged in guerilla tactics that give our state a black eye. The irony of Big Labor’s approach is that it results in less tourism, fewer jobs, less tips and a weak local economy, which ultimately hurts the very workers they claim to represent.”
For its part, culinary union officials have said that they see nothing wrong with the way their members are behaving or with the tactics that they are using. According to a union spokesperson, “The recent civil disobediences, rallies and pickets are exercises of workers’ First Amendment rights and part of the struggle for the Las Vegas Dream. Cosmopolitan workers are fighting for the opportunity to provide for their families, something all Vegas workers deserve.”
In the video that was taken and posted, a member of the union who is unidentified is shouting at into a megaphone. A APNJ member is also seen standing next to this person handing out cards. The video runs for about a minute and is entitled “Union Bosses From The Culinary 226 Harass Tourists”.
The APNJ is a project part of the Workforce Fairness Institute. Just last week they said they would launch what they call a counter-demonstration and that these would take place during Culinary protests that are being performed outside the Cosmopolitan. But, rather than picketing, the APNJ has said that it will distribute Thank You cards.
In the video, as the member of the APNJ hands out cards, the Culinary member yells out: “You guys are a bunch of losers.” This is aimed at some people who are entering the Cosmopolitan’s front doors. A little later in the video, the same man yells out at a verbal attack toward a couple. In the video he says, “You and your wife are a bunch of losers. Support the workers, guys. Don’t go inside of the Cosmopolitan.”
The Culinary Union represents an estimated 50,000 maids, bartenders, and food servers. The Union has said that it will remain on the picket line at the Cosmopolitan. The dispute stems from 2,000 workers who have been working for two years without a labor agreement. When those employees get a new contract, the protests will stop, according to the union.
Officials at the Cosmopolitan have not commented about the posted video and have been relatively silent throughout the protests.