Union Busting (Part I and II)
The following two posts are from my web site editorial page.
Editorial
December 01, 2006
Union Busting Blueprint
Although this is my theory, I am starting to see it in our life today.
First step is to buy an existing company or business and lease back part of the property and business to the previous owners whom are contractually obligated to the union workers.
Second step is to build a temporary facility (owned and operated by the acquiring company) on the newly acquired property. The new company will seek employees whom are not part of any union. Hence, the new work staff at the new temporary building will be non-union.
Third step is to tear down the existing old business building and start construction of a new facility that is promoted to the public to be “state of the art” or “customer friendly”. The down time of the previous existing business run by union workers will be put out of work while the new construction takes hold. An estimate of a year to two years is very plausible.
The total effect is a layoff of up to 2 years for unionized work force and though the contracts of said workers may of expired depending on the wording in each union contract. Bottom line, the new owners and the old owners (who now are lease the business) now are free to hire whom they care to and no longer are hindered by contractual negotiations for the work force.
I truly hope my theory will NOT be proven valid, as Oaktree-Millennium acquisition of the Meadows property and leasing of the business to MAGNA will bust the union workforce in place presently. Only time will tell. If I am correct, it is an unforeseen event in the present slot legislation that will hurt many people.
Bob Zanakis
Editor
--------------
Editorial
June 26, 2009
Union Busting (Part II)
The following was found at the USTrotting website. My comments follow:
MEC Pennsylvania Racing files for bankruptcy protection
Friday, June 26, 2009 - by John Pawlak, the U.S. Trotting Association
MEC Pennsylvania Racing, which operates the racing and pari-mutuel concession at The Meadows Racetrack and Casino and at the track’s off-track betting parlors, has filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy laws.
The firm says it is losing millions of dollars, but for now will keep operating. MEC lost $2.6 million last year, according to documents filed by the firm, which said it had $4.9 million in assets and $4.7 million in liabilities on May 31 of this year.
"Right now, it's business as usual," William G. Ford, representing Magna Entertainment Corp., MEC Pennsylvania Racing’s parent company told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Magna Entertainment, which operates seven Thoroughbred racetracks in North America, has also filed for bankruptcy protection.
If MEC were to back out of its contract to manage the track’s wagering operations with Cannery Casino Resorts, which bought the Meadows from MEC in 2005, Cannery, according to a spokesman, would take over the pari-mutuel operations.
Related Articles :
There are no related articles
http://www.ustrotting.com/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=32402&z=1
I wrote a letter to the editor and posted an editorial (see December 1, 2006 below) a few years back on the perfect way to break a union shop agreement that has been in place since 1963.
Basically it is as the Meadows did. By moving to the temporary slot building and razing the original facility, they laid off all the union employees. Those that went to the slots were hired by another company and it is non-union.
In the last two years, most of those old union people have either found new jobs or retired or passed on. Once the facility opened, the employees are non-union. The previous union shop agreement has been broken. Save the mutual tellers union. Seems they were needed and worked in the temporary simulcast trailers so when the new facility opened up, they moved right via seniority and their contract still in place.
Now we hear about MEC of PA going bankrupt. Seems they have a contract to run the gaming for horse racing and its concessions. Once the federal judge (bankruptcy) views the filing, he has the power to NEGATE that union contract. Had it been held by Cannery Resorts (Oaktree Millennium), their is no such bankruptcy. Seems to me, the MEC is doing the dirty work. Once the contract is set aside, watch Cannery Resorts assume the ownership of the horse racing mutual wagering and its concessions.
Bob Zanakis
Editor
Editorial
December 01, 2006
Union Busting Blueprint
Although this is my theory, I am starting to see it in our life today.
First step is to buy an existing company or business and lease back part of the property and business to the previous owners whom are contractually obligated to the union workers.
Second step is to build a temporary facility (owned and operated by the acquiring company) on the newly acquired property. The new company will seek employees whom are not part of any union. Hence, the new work staff at the new temporary building will be non-union.
Third step is to tear down the existing old business building and start construction of a new facility that is promoted to the public to be “state of the art” or “customer friendly”. The down time of the previous existing business run by union workers will be put out of work while the new construction takes hold. An estimate of a year to two years is very plausible.
The total effect is a layoff of up to 2 years for unionized work force and though the contracts of said workers may of expired depending on the wording in each union contract. Bottom line, the new owners and the old owners (who now are lease the business) now are free to hire whom they care to and no longer are hindered by contractual negotiations for the work force.
I truly hope my theory will NOT be proven valid, as Oaktree-Millennium acquisition of the Meadows property and leasing of the business to MAGNA will bust the union workforce in place presently. Only time will tell. If I am correct, it is an unforeseen event in the present slot legislation that will hurt many people.
Bob Zanakis
Editor
--------------
Editorial
June 26, 2009
Union Busting (Part II)
The following was found at the USTrotting website. My comments follow:
MEC Pennsylvania Racing files for bankruptcy protection
Friday, June 26, 2009 - by John Pawlak, the U.S. Trotting Association
MEC Pennsylvania Racing, which operates the racing and pari-mutuel concession at The Meadows Racetrack and Casino and at the track’s off-track betting parlors, has filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy laws.
The firm says it is losing millions of dollars, but for now will keep operating. MEC lost $2.6 million last year, according to documents filed by the firm, which said it had $4.9 million in assets and $4.7 million in liabilities on May 31 of this year.
"Right now, it's business as usual," William G. Ford, representing Magna Entertainment Corp., MEC Pennsylvania Racing’s parent company told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Magna Entertainment, which operates seven Thoroughbred racetracks in North America, has also filed for bankruptcy protection.
If MEC were to back out of its contract to manage the track’s wagering operations with Cannery Casino Resorts, which bought the Meadows from MEC in 2005, Cannery, according to a spokesman, would take over the pari-mutuel operations.
Related Articles :
There are no related articles
http://www.ustrotting.com/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=32402&z=1
I wrote a letter to the editor and posted an editorial (see December 1, 2006 below) a few years back on the perfect way to break a union shop agreement that has been in place since 1963.
Basically it is as the Meadows did. By moving to the temporary slot building and razing the original facility, they laid off all the union employees. Those that went to the slots were hired by another company and it is non-union.
In the last two years, most of those old union people have either found new jobs or retired or passed on. Once the facility opened, the employees are non-union. The previous union shop agreement has been broken. Save the mutual tellers union. Seems they were needed and worked in the temporary simulcast trailers so when the new facility opened up, they moved right via seniority and their contract still in place.
Now we hear about MEC of PA going bankrupt. Seems they have a contract to run the gaming for horse racing and its concessions. Once the federal judge (bankruptcy) views the filing, he has the power to NEGATE that union contract. Had it been held by Cannery Resorts (Oaktree Millennium), their is no such bankruptcy. Seems to me, the MEC is doing the dirty work. Once the contract is set aside, watch Cannery Resorts assume the ownership of the horse racing mutual wagering and its concessions.
Bob Zanakis
Editor
posted by Z's Picks Blog at 8:35 PM
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