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Wynn dealt another protest14 November 2006LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- A small group run by retired card dealers says new tip policies at one of the Strip's swankiest casinos threatens incomes of tipped workers everywhere, from the dingiest locals haunts to the hippest resorts in Las Vegas. The International Union of Gaming Employees, an organization run by two retired card dealers, wants operators of Wynn Las Vegas to rethink changes to its tip-pooling policy that is costing some dealers thousands of dollars per year. On Monday, Tony Badillo and Jack Lipsman filed a complaint with the Nevada Gaming Control Board urging the regulators to step in on behalf of Wynn dealers. The men oppose a new policy at the casino that reserves a portion of the tips earned by dealers for floor supervisors who weren't previously part of the pool. Not only is the policy unfair to Wynn dealers. it could provide a template for other companies to restructure tip sharing policies for everyone from waitresses, valets and bartenders, Lipsman and Badillo said. "What is to prevent management from taking 20 percent of their money," Lipsman said. So far the new policy is holding up to scrutiny. Dennis Neilander, chairman of the Gaming Control Board, said tip policies aren't part of the regulators' typical jurisdiction. "It didn't appear it involved any gaming matters," Neilander said. The state's labor commissioner has already rejected one complaint about the new policy, and the control board said wages do not fall under its jurisdiction. Amanda Penn, spokeswoman for the Nevada Department of Business & Industry, said the company followed the law in notifying employees in advance of the change, which went into effect Sept. 1. Dealers who want to challenge it would need to establish they are losing money, which would require time to document, Penn said. "Because it is tips, they can't show they have actually been harmed at this point," she said. "Even then it still may not be a violation of wage and hour law." Two Wynn dealers have filed a lawsuit seeking to reverse the policy. Badillo and Lipsman said Wynn dealers hurt by the new policy asked the International Union of Gaming Employees to step in on their behalf. "Everybody is afraid to go against Steve Wynn. He is a very powerful man," said Badillo, referring to Steve Wynn, chairman of Wynn Resorts Ltd. "We are here to defend the dealers." Representatives of the company did not return calls for comment on Monday. But in earlier statements they have said the new policy is legal and the best way to correct the imbalance created when dealers make significantly more money than managers supervising them. Dealers, however, see it differently. Several who didn't want to be identified for fear of losing their jobs say the policy pits employees against their supervisors and is hurting morale on the casino floor. "It just sucks here. I've been dealing for 12 years. I love dealing and I hate my job," said one dealer, who said he's worked at Wynn Las Vegas since the $2.7 billion resort opened in April 2005. "Everybody is frustrated, everybody is miserable." Another dealer said she came to work at the casino in large part because of Wynn's reputation for operating high-quality casinos with good employee morale. But now the environment between dealers and floor supervisors is "toxic," she said. "Everyone is really, really scared," she said. "We try not to take it to the table. But the tension is still there between the floor people and the dealers. Every day you have to deal with it." Copyright GamingWire. All rights reserved.
Wynn dealt another protest
is republished from Online.CasinoCity.com.
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