Assemblyman Bob L. Beers (my candidate for Nevadan of the Year) credits grass-roots organizing and letter-writing by dealers and their allies with the resurrection of his AB 357. This bill, which would put an end to Steve Wynn's heinous practice of confiscating Wynn Las Vegas' dealers' tips and using them offset payroll costs, has been tacked onto AB 248, which passed the Assembly on April 24 with a veto-proof majority. (Hint to Gov. "Midnight Jim" Gibbons: With your political career barely registering a pulse, you probably don't want to piss off any additional voting blocs right now.)
Well, if the dealers have grass roots, Wynn has … astroturf.
I've received copies of form letters that Wynn's execs are supposedly distributing to pit bosses and boxmen, to plead with Carson City solons to please, please let them retain the newfound wealth to which The Great Steve has given them access (by dint of taking it from other employees, but never mind that little nuance, OK?). One of them reads, in part, as follows …
"The Wynn dealers have characterized this program as one where our employer took tips from the dealers and gave the tips to management. THIS IS FALSE! The truth of the matter is that Wynn Las Vegas instituted a new customer-service program which included the creation of the Service Team Lead position, elminated the old supervisory positions and raised the level of customer service that was to be provided to our casino guests. It is true that I share in the gratuities that are generously given by our guests — but why shouldn't I? I stand shoulder to shoulder with the dealers, I work just as hard as the dealers and I provide our guests with a level of service equal to our dealers. For the first time in the history of Las Vegas, the frontline customer service role I play in servicing our guests is being acknowleged.
<snippage>
"… just because it is different and innovative does not make it wrong. I respectfully request that you not take any action that would result in the termination of this program. There is no need to change a law that has worked well for decades — please leave the law alone!"
Let me say that if this document is indeed a hoax, it is one of the most note-perfect parodies ever penned. The over-the-top bombast, overuse of superlatives, whingeing tenor of "I get no respect" and generally self-congratulatory tone are Steve Wynn to a "T." As for for the second paragraph, I will now cease to think of Lenin's five-year plans or Mao's "Great Leap Forward" or even the back-to-the-Stone Age policies of the Khmer Rouge as "wrong" … merely "different and innovative."
At the bottom of the letter, family members and friends are encouraged to contact "the legislature [sic]" as well. "More is better," it concludes. Yes, especially when that means "more" money that Wynn can withhold from its dealers or "more" wages that it doesn't have to pay its boxmen and pit bosses out of revenue.
The four Assemblymen targeted by the apparent Astroturf campaign (which multiple sources have confirmed) are Speaker Barbara Buckley, Judiciary Committe Chairman Bernie Anderson, "Assemblyman Oceguera" and "Assemblyman Conklin" (guess somebody couldn't be bothered to look up the first names of the last two … John and Marcus, respectively). Interesting to see a die-hard Dubya apologist like Wynn looking to four Democrats as his source of salvation.
By the way … isn't it funny as all get-out (not!) that the Wynn Resorts anti-union literature currently being distributed faux-solicitously cautions dealers that a pro-union vote could mean "economic strikes — full time [sic] replacements!" But isn't that exactly the retribution that ol' Steve threatened his dealers with, should they walk out: mass replacement? The executive suite at Wynn Las Vegas appears to be an irony-free zone.
