FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 8, 1999
CONTACT: Dan Rene, 703-847-3088 or drene@nlpc.org
Please attribute the following comments to NLPC’s Chairman Ken Boehm:
The National Gambling Impact Study Commission’s recent recommendation that the Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE) and other unions should be entitled to organize Indian Casinos is not the end of the problem. Rather, HERE won an opening battle in what appears to be the early stages of a decades-long war.
Money. The one thing union bosses desire above all else is money -- more personal money and more union money under their control. One legal way for bosses to obtain more money is members’ dues. HERE bosses are no different. They look at Indian Casinos and salivate. And with the right mix of public relations spin, campaign contributions, legal action and intimidation, they hope to get a piece of the action.
HERE bosses will not stop their assault on Indian Casinos until 1) all Indian Casinos are unionized or 2) HERE ceases to exist. Neither option will happen anytime soon. Thus, the public should prepare for a battle in Washington, in state capitals and at Indian Casinos for a long time to come.
Influence of Organized Crime and Corruption
One argument used to promote regulating Indian Casinos is that they
are susceptible to organized crime. While the debate over whether
or not this argument is a myth has been going on for years, one things
is clear: regulating Indian Casinos means giving HERE a green light to
organize. HERE’s record on corruption is bad. It’s arguable
that organized crime and corruption will penetrate faster and more pervasively
in Indian Casinos with HERE than without HERE.
HERE was one of four unions (others were the Laborers, Longshoremen and Teamsters) named by the President’s Commission on Organized Crime in 1986 as the most corrupt unions in America. The Commission said HERE was “substantially influenced and/or control by organized crime.” HERE has been linked to the Bruno-Scarfo, Colombo and Gambino crime families in government lawsuits. Little has changed. Just last year, Kurt W. Muellenberg, appointed by a U.S. District Court to monitor HERE, issued a scathing report on corruption within HERE. And just because HERE has a new boss, John W. Wilhelm, doesn’t mean the corruption situation will improve -- just remember the Teamsters and their disgraced reformer Ron Carey.
Mr. Boehm is available for interviews and further comment. If you would like this statement emailed to you, please contact 703-847-3088 or drene@nlpc.org. For more information on union corruption, especially within HERE, please visit www.nlpc.org/olap/ucu/artindx.htm.
NLPC’s Organized Labor Accountability Project is investigating and exposing corruption and abuses in the Teamsters, LIUNA, AFL-CIO and other labor organizations. NLPC publishes Union Corruption Update, a fortnightly newsletter. NLPC is a nonpartisan, nonprofit foundation promoting ethics and accountability in government through research, education and legal action. Please visit www.nlpc.org.
Organized Labor Accountability Project