LAS VEGAS — Dealers negotiating a union contract with the Caesars Palace hotel-casino planned to protest outside the Las Vegas Strip resort on Thursday, saying they are no closer to a deal with management after nearly two years of talks.

Officials for the Transport Workers International Union of America said they expected hundreds of dealers and supporters for the demonstration outside the flagship property for casino operator Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. The protest coincides with the union’s convention, being held in Las Vegas at another casino-hotel owned by Harrah’s.
The roughly 600 dealers at the casino voted to become unionized in 2007 but have not reached a contract.
Shane Kaufmann, a Caesars Palace dealer helping to negotiate the contract, said the dealers want conditions similar to what they had before Harrah’s bought Caesars in 2005.
“They’re not asking for big raises, they’re not asking for an increase in their pension,” Kaufmann said. “We just want the status quo and the right to have union representation.”
Marybel Batjer, Harrah’s vice president of public policy and communications, said both sides have met at least 25 times since dealers voted for the union in 2007, but union officials have been unavailable for many other meetings offered by the company.
“That’s been some of what’s frustrating and has caused delay because if you can’t even get to the table, you can’t obviously negotiate,” Batjer said.
Kaufmann and Batjer said talks have stalled over various sticking points, including control over tips, union representation during personnel decisions and vacation time.
Batjer said the company’s vacation proposal was in line with what other workers at the resort have agreed to under a contract with another union, the 60,000-member Culinary union that represents workers across the Strip and downtown.
The Culinary’s parent union, UNITE HERE, announced Thursday it was reuniting with the AFL-CIO. The Transport Workers union, which represents about 200,000 members and retirees in 22 states, is also affiliated with the AFL-CIO.
Kanie Kastroll, a dealer at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel-casino and president of the local union, said supporters would also demonstrate in support of the Employee Free Choice Act, specifically a portion of the bill that would require binding arbitration if a new union and management can’t agree on a contract within 120 days.
Union leaders in Las Vegas believe the law would directly affect the situation with Caesars Palace.
“Whatever happened to the employer’s moral and ethical obligation to take care of their employees? It’s very simple,” Kastroll said.
President Obama has told union leaders he would work to pass the union bill once health care reform is done.