Las Vegas Labor Contract Pending

Las Vegas—For two months, the local union has been providing general service contractors with workers for the city's conventions and exhibitions with no contract between them. Those involved say negotiation delays have been caused more by summer vacation schedules than by the usual sticking points, but rising costs on both sides of the table aren't absent from discussions either.

The contract between Teamsters Local 631, and Freeman Decorating and GES Exposition Services, which are bargaining collectively, lapsed in late May. The parties agreed to extend the existing contract — covering terms and conditions of union labor at Las Vegas convention and exhibition facilities — through the end of June, in order to continue negotiating. However, they ended up mainly spending that time discussing the language of the document. With general managers from the decorating companies in and out of town, and Local 631 Secretary-Treasurer Edmund Burke on vacation for the first part of July, talks didn't pick up again until the last week of July.

As August set in, and several major tradeshows loomed on the horizon, the groups still didn't have a contract and the extension had lapsed. Until a new contract is agreed upon, the old contract's terms and conditions apply.

GES Executive Vice President Al Dyess said more meetings are scheduled for the end of this month. In the interim, he said, "We expect all the parties will continue to strive to provide the high level of service that we all take pride in."

GES is the official contractor for the Intl. Baking Industry Exposition, held Aug. 15–18 at the Las Vegas Convention Center; and MAGIC Marketplace, Aug. 30–Sept. 2 at the LVCC.

Pat Dwyer, who directs the Intl. Baking Industry Exposition for SmithBucklin, said she wasn't too worried about a strike. She said her contact at GES told her the parties would be meeting again Aug. 23–24, when she would have already moved out of the building. In the interim, she said, the union has been asked to do an audit of where some payments are going, "so it's going to take them a little while. Fortunately, I do skate by on this one."

Barry Rappaport, Freeman director of convention operations, said discussions have begun to touch on wages and health and welfare coverage, with the union expressing its need for increases to cover the rising cost of living and insurance premiums. "But none of it has been adversarial," Rappaport added. "We're just still negotiating. We want to be fair to them, but we can't give them an increase we can't absorb. Things have been difficult on our side too."

Other issues under discussion are the workers' pension plans and a fund that supports a special training facility, where the Teamsters prepare members to work on tradeshows.

Burke did not return calls from Tradeshow Week.

The general contractors pay a percentage per hour, contributing to a fund along with groups from other industries served by the union. Rappaport explained that usually the parties agree on an overall wage package, and the union applies any included increases where it sees fit.