United Voice

In this issue:

1. Crown deadline set: COB Friday

2. Table Games classification structure

3. Where are we with our ten point plan?

4. Last chance to register

Crown deadline set: COB Friday

On Wednesday, your Casino Union bargaining team told Crown they have until close of business today to increase their pay offer and resolve the Table Games classification issues.

The number one issue still outstanding is pay.

Crown refuses to move from its 10.25% pay offer (3.5 in 2010, 3.5 in 2011, and 3.25 in 2012). Your Casino Union bargaining team want 13.5% (4.5, 4.5, 4.5) to settle the agreement today.

So why do Casino Union members deserve a 13.5% pay increase?
 
Here is the case for a larger, fairer pay increase:

• Crown can afford to pay more. Crown makes millions of dollars in profit each year. In the 2009/2010 financial year they recorded a $292 million profit.
  
  
• “VIPs turned over $40 billion, and VIP revenue was at an all-time high, $585 million, up from $501 million last year."*
  
  
• “Non-gaming revenue from hotels and restaurants was also higher than last year at $483 million and includes revenue from Crown's new Metropol Hotel ...”*
  
  
• Workers at Crown’s other property, Burswood Casino received a higher pay increase than Crown is currently offering.
  
  
• While Crown’s profit grows, so does the workload. More revenue means more patrons: more patrons means more work.
  
  
• The opening of the Metropol has pumped thousands more patrons through the complex: increasing pressure and workload.
  
  
• Plans are in place for further expansion, including hundreds more gaming tables, doubling the size of the Mahogany Room, and the upgraded Teak Room. This will see the surge of patrons continue.
  
  
• Meanwhile, the cost of living for Crown workers continues to grow.
  
  
• Inflation during the March 2010 quarter was 2.9%. During the life of the last agreement, the inflation rate hovered above 4% for most of 2008.
  
  
• In the last three months, the main increases have been to: electricity, gas, water, mortgage, and rent. If you just look at the basics, the cost of living is rising even faster than 2.9%.

That is why thousands of Casino Union members are outraged at Crown’s refusal to budge. And they are speaking out against this lack of respect by signing the register and declaring their opposition to Crown’s proposals.

*(Lahey ‘High Rollers Help Crown Beat the Gaming Floor Blues’ Sydney Morning Herald 27 August 2010)

Table Games classification structure

When EA negotiations began, Casino Union members said they wanted guaranteed games training with a clear timeline of when they should expect to be trained.

Crown’s initial response was a proposal with these major faults:

FAULT 1: timeline for training was way too long. Under Crown’s proposal dealers would get their second game within 24 months and their third game within 48 months. 

RESOLVED: training has been brought forward. For example: a one game dealer who has been at Crown less than one year will get second game training between 12 and 18 months of their start date. And third game training within 12 months of getting their second game.

FAULT 2: new dealer wage frozen

STILL UNRESOLVED: Crown want to have a wage freeze for all new dealers — the base rate would stay as it is now for the next 12 months. Casino Union members believe this is unfair and all new dealers should be paid the same rate as one game dealers. The wage freeze must go!

FAULT 3: two game dealer rate too low

STILL UNRESOLVED: the current proposal has two game dealers with more than two years service up to $2.40 per hour worse off. Members are saying this is just too high a price to pay for guaranteed games training.  The two game dealer rate needs to be improved today.

FAULT 4: three game dealer rate too low

STILL  UNRESOLVED: the current proposal has three game dealers up to $2.40 an hour worse off. Once again members are saying this is simply too high a price to pay for guaranteed games training.  The three game dealer rate needs to be improved today.

FAULT 5: disqualification from training due to sick leave.

RESOLVED: this has been removed, you can not have training withheld based on any absenteeism issues.

Pressure from Casino Union members forced Crown into resolving some of these issues. Members are demanding the remaining issues be resolved.

Your Casino Union bargaining team told Crown they need to lift the rates for two and three game dealers and ensure there is no wage freeze for new dealers. 

Where are we with our ten point plan?

Since last October, Casino Union members have been meeting to discuss the changes you want to achieve in your new EA.

Hundreds of Casino Union members and leaders came together at dozens of meetings over six months to come up with a clear ten point plan  to make Crown a better place to work.

This plan was endorsed by thousands of Casino Union members before negotiations kicked off in April this year.
 
So how much of our ten point plan have we achieved so far?

1. Maintenance of our current conditions: to ensure that no employees’ conditions are diminished under the new EA — NO
   
   
2. Improvements to pay and allowances: a fair pay increase that reflects the increases in workload and responsibilities, the contributions union members make to increasing Crown’s profits, and the rising costs of living — NO
   
   
3. Consultation about changes and respect for our union at Crown — YES
   
   
4. Improvements to Crown employees’ work/life balance and their hours of work — YES
   
   
5. Improvements to job certainty for casual employees — YES
   
   
6. Improvements to classification structures and career paths — PARTLY (improvements to security, food and beverage review, cage and count review but NOT to table games and gaming machines)
   
   
7. Improvements to how Crown deals with employees absence due to illness and injury — YES
   
   
8. Improvements to the annual leave system — PARTLY
   (we didn't get the five weeks with 17.5% loading that we wanted but we have achieved a fairer process for taking leave including an end to blackout periods)
   
   
9. Heat Policy — YES
   
   
10. A plain English EA — YES

Last chance to register

Have you registered your opposition to Crown’s proposals yet? No — you need to do it today! Click on the box below!