Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2006

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Casino supervisors take rake from dealer tips

By Erin Warner

Wynn Las Vegas dealers are protesting a tip-sharing policy that has cut their annual income by $5,000.

Supervisors are now collecting a portion of dealer gratuities, a move the resort casino designed to equalize employee wages.

Prior to implementing the new procedure in August, Wynn dealers earned about $100,000 a year while managers made $60,000.

Under the new policy, which gives supervisors a boost in base salary, dealers make an average $90,000 and management earns $95,000 annually.

The change has met with heavy resistance from dealers at the casino, who say they earned the big tips from high-stakes patrons.

The casino, however, says that the tips caused a disparity between dealer and supervisor wages and created a worker shortage for management positions.

In September two Wynn dealers filed lawsuit seeking class action status on behalf of 500 of their peers. Dealers also petitioned the state's labor commissioner to issue a ruling on the policy's legality. The commissioner found it to be legal, if supervisors handle customer service.

This week, several people including dealers from other casinos and an inactive union gathered in front of the Wynn Las Vegas to protest the new policy.

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