Executive View Q & A
Executive View Q & A
Q & A with D. Taylor, secretary-treasurer, Culinary Union Local 226
D. Taylor is secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Union Local 226 in Las Vegas, which is under the umbrella of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE). Taylor, who began busing tables to get through college, found his way to a union restaurant in Washington D.C. in the early 1980s. It was there he got involved with HERE, becoming a sub steward. He was sent to Las Vegas in 1984 to aid with the ongoing strikes against casino properties along the Strip. Those strikes made national headlines and helped establish Las Vegas' Culinary Union as a strong presence among gaming employees and operators. After the strikes had largely subsided and the Culinary Union was able to make progress with bargaining agreements, Taylor returned to the East Coast. But he came back to Las Vegas in 1987 for what was supposed to be a six-month stint. "I haven't left yet," he quipped. Taylor has held a number of positions with the Culinary Union since that time, being named secretary-treasurer in 2002. Casino Journal contributing writer Regina Lafay recently spoke with Taylor about the union's recent progress with organizing Las Vegas casino properties, smoking concerns for union employees and efforts to educate about heath care and benefits.
After years of struggling to organize the Aladdin Hotel & Casino, the Culinary Union and the new partnership renovating the property into a Planet Hollywood have seemed to come to a fairly easy agreement on organization there. What's your take on the union's new relationship with the Aladdin?
With the new owners it certainly was easier. It took us about nine months to get the first agreement reached. We're glad about that. Hopefully the property will get the kind of capital investment that's been talked about so it will be very successful. We reached the contract in September and we feel great about it.
How about the Culinary Union's relationship with other Las Vegas Strip resorts? Are there active efforts to try and organize the handful of properties that aren't represented?
On the Strip we have very good relations. I mean they're business relationships and obviously we have our differences on things, but overall we have a symbiotic relationship there. Are there drives to organize? Absolutely.
Has the union made any inroads in trying to organize with Station Casino properties?
Station Casinos, along with the other nine units, we're working on. I don't want to go into the details because every time something gets published about our organized drives in the non-union casinos the companies then organize meetings with their employees to demean the union and tell them how horrible the union is. So, I don't say much about that anymore. Whatever is publicized causes the casinos to crank up an anti-union campaign even more-so.
It's always a battle. This union was built on battles, has lived through battles, and it will always have battles. I think the real testament is that people do move here to work because there are decent jobs and they're decent because we do have a heavily unionized workforce in the hospitality industry. There are casinos in Laughlin (about 90 miles south of Las Vegas) and those jobs are not good. Same industry, same jobs, same state-the only difference is the union presence.
Smoking inside casinos and second-hand smoke are among the issues the Culinary Union has dealt with. What's the union's stance on smoking?
Second-hand smoke is going to be an issue that cuts with the workers, it cuts with the customers, cuts with the environment. I think this question of smoking in a casino will ultimately only be decided by a body, be it the Assembly or (other) governmental entity. I've never known of any large establishment or business that has done away with smoking without it being done through the state capitals or city or county. I expect the same to be true here.
What occurs ultimately? I don't know. I think the casinos understand that they allow customers to smoke but they also have a lot of employees that have to deal with it.
What can casinos do to make for healthier conditions for employees?
Years ago the casinos used to be really smoky. Over the years, as you can tell, the ventilation systems have gotten much better. I think a lot less people smoke. But what else can the casinos do? I don't know. I think maybe one day the casinos will have smoking gaming sections and non-smoking gaming sections. The ventilation has improved things but there's no question that it's an ongoing problem. But at the same time, you have some workers who don't smoke but don't mind waiting on people who do, and vice versa.
What are the other big issues in order of importance for the union today?
We have three different major initiatives going. One is on diabetes. We have a population that has a high incidence of diabetes. And also we have a large group of people who have not been diagnosed with diabetes and have it. So we have a major initiative of diabetes education and intervention. That's one big issue.
Number two, we have an initiative going on with Nevada Cancer Institute. We also have a high incidence of cancer, all forms of cancer. That's a very big issue.
Number three, we have an initiative that's really trying to figure out how our participants understand the difference between brand and generic drugs, which is very little. The cost difference is big, but the drugs are essentially the same.
Those are three initiatives we've got on an ongoing basis. We contracted out with some specific providers to help with the education and such, plus we're doing outreach, plus we do free testing which is important. We're trying to get people diagnosed and get them treatment. As you know the other side effects of diabetes, for example, are high blood pressure, hypertension, and other problems that obviously affect general health. So it's important to get that diagnosed.
