Hello Elite Traders.... I need a little help from you guys. I really doubt anyone outside of Las Vegas has heard about this but I work at the Wynn Las Vegas casino as a dealer and our tip (toke) policy has changed. In the middle of August, Steve Wynn himself flew in from Macau to address all of his dealer, boxmen, floormen, pit bosses, assist shift bosses and shift bosses about the changes. Basically to make a long story short..... No more floormen... they are called "team leaders". They do everything a floormen does expect fill out Reg 6a forms. Not only did they receive a 5k annual raise but they also receive 40% of a share of tips and the boxmen receive 20% of a share of tips. We as dealers are struggling to get together to do something because everyone is in fear of losing there jobs. Now in our employee book we have something call "toke bylaws" and they are the rules all the dealers follow when it comes to tips. Examples are stuff like no tips for jury duty or for funeral leave. You must work on the game for 20 mins to receive a full hour of tips. Now more importantly they state that any change in tip policy must be voted on..... Well we never had a chance to vote.... Also boxmen and floormen and bosses above are not allow to share in the tip pool... Now they renamed there floormen "team leaders" which do the same job as floormen.... (sit at the podium and talk to the other "team leader" about sports).... So our company just broke there own policys and not sure about what to do. The CEO himself told us he has spoken to the attorney general and said what they are doing is legal. The problem I see it as though they are breaking there company policy and then the came out with a new policy 5 days later in a memo stating our new toke bylaws. Also that memo was dated 4 months prior with a date of 5/6/2006 and there was no word that this kind of crap was going to happen...... It gets even better...... RUMOR has it now that we will all have to sign a form accepting the new policy. Well we never voted on it breaking the old policy's rules. Has a date of 4 months prior to it so in my mind they are starting a paper trail saying well we had this memo in May and they signed it accepting it..... So how unethical is this? How can a company that states a policy must be voted on, go back and change there policy and issue a new policy which breaks the old policy after the new policy has gone into effect? What it breaks down to is about a 20k decrease in pay for me and about a 30k increase for the new "team leaders". He gave us reasons about why he is doing it but really isn't the point. So what can we do? Who can we call? Where do we start? Someone please assist us with any kind of advice you can give.....
One more thing.... Steve Wynn also addressed a policy that if any dealer called in sick for any reason that when we return to work we will need a doctor's note. The casino dealers/floormen where the only ones that are required to do this and his other several thousand employees do not need to do this. hostel work environment? Unfair work practices. Unethical?
As the saying goes, if you lie with dogs you will get fleas! The casino industry is hardly ethical at the best of times (mob). Move this thread to the "should hookers have subsidised health benifits" section or something.
Ask people that train themselves through legal means to beat a game and get asked to leave and never come back that question. In other words, we only want people that are stupid or addicted to frequent our facilities. If you are intelligent and under control, you are too dangerous so we (the casino industry) must ask you to leave. Oh yeah, also, if you win too much you have to cool off/leave and come back later to continue playing. You see, not much sympathy from many here due to the fact that you are an "at will employee". You see, you have a job at the "pleasure" of your employer. All that money you get "toked" comes from people that are stupid and more than likely allowed to play as long as they can due to the fact they are losers. Move up the ladder to "team leader", learn some new skills or just simply leave. Hey, it's a free country. Mr. Wynn has to keep his overhead costs down and looks like the dealers are the low men on the totem pole. So you see he can augment middle managements salaries out of your pockets and not his. Also keeps his "team leaders" interested in training good people and getting rid of those irritating dealers that always have a scowl on their face (you know the ones, those that are "owed" and seems like too many casinos these days have plenty of them on staff). Looks like ole' Stevie is trying to motivate the good dealers to move higher in the organization, and the ones that are simply comfortable being dealers can stay dealers, but not at advantageous salaries and tips. It's sort of like the waitresses that have to share tips with the hostess. Free country, move up, move along or move aside. Good luck to you.
So no one yet has seen a problem with the company policy being broken? Yes I am able to walk out at anytime but while I am employeed I have certain rights. These rights were written down and given to us and right now they are clearly being broken. That is my beef. As of now there are a few of us going down to the labor board to discuss this matter further. Whether we win or lose... who knows but for you guys to just say take or leave it clearly has lost touch with reality.
I agree. Only in America could someone be miffed that spinning a roulette wheel is no longer a G a week (or more) gig......... One of my oldest friends owns a well known restaurant in Chicago. Even at the top it's a tough business. Soaring food and energy costs, property tax hikes (80k a year!!) ect. Yet his servers who take zero RISK are always beefing yet they walk out with around a $1000 a week while he goes months at times without being able to draw a salary. At some point it becomes more profitable to sell the building, bank the money and live off the interest. Many employess fail to realize that just finding work is a bonus.......
Nothing much new here in my mind. Floor people have generally always made less than the dealers...several that I know locally for years stopped themselves from being "promoted" so they could keep the toke money. I'm certainly not defending Steve Wynn (not that he needs it), but even my own family members have, in the past, switched back to dealing for the money. However, I'm not sure that this plan will really offer any benefit to any part of Wynn management, or its' shareholders. FWIW, Don
Hmm... well that's the old policy, I'm sure the new policy doesn't say anything about needing votes to implement changes right? It's like Prohibition, what was once legal is not illegal. Are they gonna go back and arrest everyone who've ever had a drink? That's it the past, it's over with. Work with the current situation. There's a rift between what's "legal" and what's "ethical". I doubt ethics were ever a concern of casinos, they got by with doing the bare minimum to meet legal standards; and I'm sure they slide through a lot of illicit activity as well. So what's perfectly legal may not necessarily be ethical, like sleeping with the boss's wife. Actually, you might want to try that, will probably make you feel better. Then get a new and better job! Good luck!
the point i don't understand is how can you have a new policy when it contradicts the old policy. The old policy stated that any changes must be voted on. So must there be a vote in order for any changes to be made. If the company can change their minds about a policy at any time why bother putting a policy on paper in the first place.