The struggle between management and unions an ever-present issue in Nevada.
The massive Culinary Union has gone on strike several times over the last 50 years. In 1984, a 67-day strike resulted in three deaths, hundreds of arrests and the MGM swimming pool was blown up. The strike at the Frontier in the early 1990s lasted more than six years.
Onlookers might think, "Well, that won’t happen anymore. Both sides are too savvy and the economic devastation would be too much for either side to withstand." But just look at just the last few months.
During negotiations, the Culinary Union threatened to strike before the Formula 1 Grand Prix race, then the Super Bowl. The Clark County teachers’ union can’t strike by state law, but they went months in a struggle against the school district for more. They basically won; the superintendent quit, and the union is now working to change the law forbidding them to strike.
Nationwide, 451 strikes were counted last year. Union membership grew by nearly 200,000, and public support hasn’t been this high since 1965.
But from the outside, why is it so difficult for the two sides to agree? Are these fights more for show — because they almost always get resolved, and many times in favor of employees?
Guests: Gregg Kamer, attorney; Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer of Culinary Union Local 226
