The King Of Las Vegas
April 12, 2009 7:40 PM
He's the man who put the glitz in the Las Vegas strip. Now, Steve Wynn is gambling against the current economy by opening a new 2.3 billion dollar casino. Charlie Rose has the story.
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Lets recap shall we. Dealers who earn wages totaling only $14,206.40 per year now have to give 2/5 of a share of their tips to supervisors who earn approximately $63,700.
In addition, the dealers are not allowed to count their own tips, They must turn their tips over to security where the money is taken behind closed doors to be counted. The dealers then must wait until the following business day to find out how much management has Told them they will receive.
Robin Hood you are not, Steve! You are a shameful excuse of a human being. One can only judge that when humanity is judged that you are not the standard.
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Since August 21, 2006, approximately 600 full-time/200 part-time casino dealers working at Wynn Las Vegas have been in a financial struggle with their employer. Breaking the industry standard, and also the condition of employment, Steve Wynn along with Wynn Las Vegas President Andrew Pascal (his nephew by marriage) decided to subsidize the dealers' floor supervisors' income by cutting them into the dealers' toke (tip) pool. The company claimed there was a "disparity" between the pay of the supervisors and the dealers. So, we the dealers said, "Then pay them with the hundreds of millions in record profits." You see, the casino pays the dealers close to minimum wage and then we earn tips ourselves. Dealers work hard to earn our tip income, which is about 85% to 90% of our total income. Supervisors were already earning over $30 p/hr, but the casino said that they should get more money. Let me also mention that the dealers' Toke Committee (made up of dealers we vote for during an election), which collects and counts the tokes, was dissolved by Wynn. So, not only are we paying our own supervisors, but we do not even have a clue as to how much tip income we collect daily. We cannot collect, count, verify or dispense the tokes! Have you ever heard of a tipped employee not handling their own tips?
Previously, there was a class action lawsuit, and now the dealers are looking forward to a hearing with the Nevada Labor Commissioner's Office on July 7, 2009. Nevada law clearly states that the employees must have an "agreement amongst themselves," which we clearly never agreed amongst ourselves to pay Wynn's management with our tip income.
This leads me to the other current issue - unionism. Although Las Vegas is considered a union town with tens of thousands of union employees working at major strip casinos, dealers have always been "discouraged" or perhaps taboo to unionize for political reasons. After barely being opened for 1 1/2 years, the dealers at Wynn Las Vegas were determined to unionize. With a 3-to-1 overwhelming majority, on May 13, 2007 we did and never looked back. Contrary to false news reports, we did not unionize only because of the tips being taken from us; that was just the final straw.
It goes deeper than that - much deeper than this segment on 60 Minutes cared to dive.
Tune in next week to see "Dealers Fight for Just Cause (because all loyal employees ever want is a loyal company that respects its employees and treats them right, oh yeah, and doesn't dip in their tip cup)."
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock....
Mr. Wynn is a man who worked very hard to achieve success on HIS OWN TERMS.
In our current times that may not be "politically correct" enough for some people.
I hope we have more great Ameican dreamers like Mr. Wynn in the future.
Lord knows our economy needs them.
Encore at Wynn las Vegas is amazing. From the sky casino on the 57Th floor to the gold sculptures in the night club. The Wynn art collection that is sprinkled around the Wynn and Encore resorts is mind blowing. the golf course is one of a kind, when you play all you can see is the two Wynn resorts, its as if you are in the most secluded quiet place on earth, then you go back to the resort and POW! your back in Vegas. The service is truly 5 star.
The rest of the resort industry is always trying to copy or catch up to Wynn resorts.
The strip is littered with half complete resorts that are at best trying to be a Wynn resort, or casinos and hotels that steve has made him self or inspired. And then Steve changed the game again with Encore.
Encore will be the new definition of what a resort should be the way all of his other hotels have been over the past 30 years or has it been 40? It truly is different. One of a kind even for Steve.
Stevey as he was called at the time was a very smart kid and was at the Academy to gain knowledge. I was there to get "straightened out" and whether I learned anything or not was beside the point. Mostly I did and I didn't respectivley.
When the first quarter grades came out Steve was right up there in the 90's plus and gained the coveted star of the honor student to wear on his sleeve. This entitled him to NOT have to spend three hours every night in his room and studying as long as he maintained the grade level of the honor student and he did that all the years he was at the Academy. He could go to the Phoenix Tavern and watch TV if he wanted or go for a walk on the campus if he wanted but he didn't do any of those things. Stevey studied and studied and did more learning in an hour than I did in three hours. Plenty smart kid. While he studied I had to be quiet so I studied too and that helped me a lot.
My first year I was brought aboard the varsity basketball team as a manager. That meant picking up the towels and making sure all the equipment was clean and where it was supposed to be for the players. The second year we were short one manager so I asked Steve to come and be that person for the season and he did. We got to go on "away" trips and into Syracuse to play at the "new" War memorial stadium and go see the city. Great fun for a couple of 14 year old kids. I still have pictures of those years with the both of us and the teams with Whity Anderson as the coach.
During football season Steve and I would go to the football field and watch the football team practice and play games under the competent coaching of Tom Cahill. Yup! The same one from West Point. We went to West Point too with the whole school on buses and if we beat the Plebes in football we got a day off from classes. We never got that day off while I was at Manlius. But Steve and I got to see West Point from the students point of view and that was one beautiful place to see. Tough life at West Point compared to our academy.
Steve was from Utica,NY at the time and could go home on weekends. I was from the Boston area and only went home for Thanksgiving,Christmas and Easter. Being the kind soul that he was Steve often invited me to go home for the weekend with him and he will never know how much those trips to his home meant to me. It was a real thrill when his father showed up at the school in a brand new jet black 1956 Lincoln Premiere to take us home to Utica. I'll always remember that car and the wonderful smell of fresh paint and leather. At 14 I was very impressionable and that car really impressed me. My fathers 55 Cadillac couldn't hold a candle to that Lincoln.
Anyway we'd get to Steve's house and then had to get out of our uniforms. We always wore our uniforms at school and when traveling but once you got to where you were going you could get into civies but of course I had none to change into. So Steve's mother came up with cloths for me to wear and they were always there whenever I went to Utica. Had my own room too and more great food than I could eat. Nobody ever left Steve's house hungry I can promise you that.
Steve's father took us shooting one time and another time we went skiing at some huge hill upon which I darn near killed myself. But I learned how to shoot and to ski with Steve and his father and that's two more things I won't ever forget.
I left Manlius before graduating but I was a far better person form having been there and for having met Steve and his family. Their kindness,generosity and affection to a kid a long way from home could not possibly ever be forgotten. With all those great qualitys instilled in Steve by his wonderful parents and his innate ability as a business man it's no wonder he has become the person that he has.
Steve's work in this lifetime has put thousands of people to work,made millions for investors which is what a good business man does if he wants to stay in business and improved his adoptive city and state ten fold by his hard work and integrity all of which began in a little room at Company"B" at the Manlius Military Academy where he studied so long and hard. If Steve has made a good living for himself and his family along the way then more power to him. Nobody gave it to him. He earned it all the way.
So good for you Steve. Hope you can keep up the good work even at your (our) age. Ha! I know he will never retire anymore than I will. Norm McGill
I have never been to Las Vegas, and I am 61 years old, but I have seen more beauty created by Steve Wynn on television and on the internet
with great appreciation and he keeps my dream of one day arriving just once, at one of his beautiful hotels. I nevr get tired or jealous of watching and listening to Steve Wynn.
I only wish their advertising lived up to his impeccable taste. Why is it so cheesy?
A person who is scorned by the media and degraded by its leaders. Steve Wynn is one of those men and this was actually a pretty good piece on him.
we need more people like him....
- by GSham April 12, 2009 9:22 PM EDT
- Steve Wynn is this generation?s version of Walt Disney and Henry Ford! My concern is who will secede Steve at Wynn Resorts as the Head Dreamer? Wynn Resorts employ's many talented people, however, someone first needs to have a Vision! Without a Protégé Wynn Resorts becomes another Five Star Resort Operator.
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See all 18 CommentsAs a self proclaimed Wynner and student of Mr. Wynn's Style over the years, I'm the one person to become his Apprentice.