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Golden Gate Strike Passes Five-Day Mark

The strike by 175 maids, food-service workers and bartenders against downtown's Golden Gate completed its fifth full day Saturday evening as union workers and supporters continued picket duty in front of the Fremont Street casino.

Culinary negotiators and Golden Gate owner Mark Brandenburg met Friday and exchanged contract proposals, Culinary Secretary-Treasurer D. Taylor said late Friday evening.

Golden Gate negotiating committee members turned Brandenburg's offer down, Taylor said. He declined to specify the terms of the rejected proposal, saying he wanted to avoid negotiating in the press.

"It wouldn't have maintained our health and pension coverage," Taylor said.

Brandenburg, through a spokesman, declined to comment.

Brandenburg had previously offered to provide health insurance coverage to his union workers, an offer union officials rejected.

The union submitted its own proposal, Taylor said, an offer that mirrors terms agreed to by struggling Golden Gate neighbor Binion's Horseshoe.

Because Brandenburg has yet to pay a 40-cent-per-hour raise due Golden Gate workers in December under terms of the expired pact, Taylor said any Golden Gate contract must include an accelerated enforcement mechanism to make sure the property lives up to its commitments.

Taylor said Brandenburg and his lawyer planned to study the union offer. The Culinary's top local official expects to hear from Brandenburg's lawyer today.

Inside the Golden Gate Saturday evening, the strike was taking its toll.

Roulette dealers practiced sliding chips while dealing to an empty table and a row of blackjack dealers stood motionless early Saturday evening inside the nearly customer-free Golden Gate table game pit.

A few craps players made small wagers and a handful of slot players fed their machines on an evening when the Golden Gate's neighboring casinos had lively crowds.

The Bay City Diner and the property's snack bar, famous for 99-cent shrimp cocktails, were open, but almost empty.

The action at the Golden Gate was almost all outside its Fremont Street entrances, where about 40 workers and supporters on picket duty waved "On Strike!" signs and circled a few yards away from the property's doors.

The picket line had a distinct Latin flair Saturday, as call and response chants were accompanied by enthusiastic percussion from workers playing maracas, drums, tambourine and a cow bell.

Workers updated a sign they use to track the strike's duration. At 6 p.m. Saturday the sign was changed to read "120 hours."

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