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Casino Workers Struggle to Fill Layoff Void25 October 2001LAS VEGAS, Nevada –– As reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal: “Las Vegas casino workers have watched nervously as nearly 15,000 of their colleagues lost jobs to layoffs in recent weeks and tens of thousands more have struggled to get by on reduced work schedules. ”The cuts have left thousands of employees struggling to fill the void. ”…They hear their bosses say the changes were sparked by a dramatic decline in worldwide travel in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. ”And yet many workers argue that customers continue to flock to the desert city, especially on weekends, and those visitors demand the same levels of service they sought before the workplace cutbacks. ”`It's hard to give customers the service wanted,’ said Mickey Foster, a buffet server at the Luxor. `I know I'm working twice as hard as I did before.’ ”…Foster was one of four local casino workers brought together by organizers of Culinary Local 226 for a Wednesday morning interview to discuss the impact of the recent job cuts. ”An estimated 4,000 of the 15,000 laid-off workers have returned to part-time work in recent days, as casino operators attempt to match staffing levels with demand. ”And yet many casino industry workers question whether the terror attacks and the ensuing travel dropoff simply provided a pretext for bottom line-conscious employers to cut jobs amid an already weakening economy. ”They see weekend occupancy rates nearing preattack levels, and they scoff at the casino bosses' claims that those occupancy rates provide just a small gauge of the city's economic picture. ”…With a push from the 50,000-member Culinary Local 226, frustrated casino industry workers have begun passing out raffle-ticket-size slips of paper to their bosses. ”They carry the heading, `One Person One Job,’ and a series of admonitions…” |