Approximately 1200 dealers voted at Bally's Casino Saturday. Actually three casinos, the dealers voting comprised Park Place, the smaller themed Wild West casino and the former Claridge Casino.
"We are terribly disappointed that our dealers chose to hire the services of the Detroit-based labor union," President of the Eastern Division of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. Carlos Tolosa said in a statement.
Ballys had brought Mark Garrity of Balance Inc. to speak to the dealers at the casino. This reporter speaking to sources at the property was informed that Garrity’s firm was paid over $2,000,000 to persuade the dealers not to endorse the UAW as their bargaining agent.
Yesterday's vote was symbolic because in the first two votes, Caesars and Trump Plaza casinos the UAW won handily. In the last two elections casino management has turned aside the union albeit by smaller margins at Trump Marina and the Atlantic City Hilton.
The UAW has no other elections registered yet with the National Labor Relations Board presently although their intent is to organize the dealers at all eleven casinos. Speculation is that the Tropicana Casino will be next, due to recent turmoil there as new management has laid off hundreds of employees.
Harrah's Corporation, which holds Bally's under its corporate umbrella along with the Showboat and Caesars casinos, was recently purchased by the Apollo management group.
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