Michael Mishak

Story Archive

How did so many experts get their forecasts so wrong?: Difficulty, missed signs and lingering boom-time euphoria all contributed to inaccurate predictions; Sunday, April 5, 2009; Many in Nevada’s relatively small ranks of economic analysts saw conditions as much sunnier than they were, including a prominent economic forecaster, a leading UNLV economist and gaming industry analysts.
Rival unions’ efforts to reconcile will be visible to valley nurses: Friday, March 20, 2009; After a yearlong battle to represent nurses at three St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, the Service Employees International Union and the California Nurses Association have reached a peace accord.
New coalition, backed by SEIU, leaves Culinary out: Its goal: Help organize gaming workers here and in Atlantic City; Tuesday, March 17, 2009; The AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest labor federation, and the Service Employees International Union, the nation’s largest union, announced Monday the creation of the Gaming Workers Council, a coalition of unions dedicated to organizing workers in the gaming industry.
His slice of the city, fading: Robert Moore unofficially presides over the site of the planned city hall; Sunday, March 15, 2009; Gas station manager Robert Moore is thumbing through his latest science fiction novel when, from out of the dark, two women approach his cramped attendant’s booth.
Culinary parent’s battles threaten national union federation: Saturday, March 14, 2009; In 2005, a group of leading unions, including Culinary parent organization Unite Here, changed the landscape of the American labor movement by breaking away from the AFL-CIO and forming its own labor federation, Change to Win.
No contract, but dealers benefit from going union: Monday, March 9, 2009; Organized casino dealers at Wynn Las Vegas and Caesars Palace still lack union contracts after more than a year of bargaining. And though neither group appears any closer to a deal, labor leaders say members are reaping the benefits of unionization.
Experts doubt LV chamber’s claim against card check: Friday, March 6, 2009; Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce lobbyists visited Washington this week armed with a new argument against card-check legislation.
What led to plan to build city hall absent voter OK: Wednesday, March 4, 2009; The chain of events leading to Las Vegas’ efforts to build a new city hall without voter approval began in 2005, when a pair of New York real estate investors started assembling property in a blighted part of downtown.
Unions clash as card check lies in wait: Civil wars aren’t new, but they threaten card-check effort; Wednesday, March 4, 2009; Nationwide, unions are fighting among themselves at a time when they should be marshaling their forces to win their biggest priority since the Great Depression, card check.
Ethics complaint filed against Ross: Friday, Feb. 27, 2009; A group of neighborhood activists has lodged an ethics complaint against Las Vegas City Councilman Steve Ross, alleging that he has violated state ethics laws by using his post to further the interests of the Southern Nevada Building and Construction Trades Council, which he heads.
Hopes lowered for workers’ comp overhaul: Labor-friendly legislature aside, business will press recessionary concerns; Monday, Feb. 23, 2009; To hear the leader of the Nevada AFL-CIO tell it, the workers’ compensation system in Nevada is a crime, cheating employees out of treatment for legitimate injuries and all but encouraging employers to fire injured workers.
Ross keeps voting despite warning: City hall issue is latest in which he has possible conflict; Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009; During the time Steve Ross has held his post on the City Council and heading the construction trades council, he has voted to approve at least $80 million in union contracts benefiting his members.
Business travel boosters go on the offensive: Obama’s remark hits nerve among groups that say Vegas is meeting-friendly; Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009; Not taking any chances, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority will launch a six-figure ad campaign this month aimed at correcting any misperceptions created by remarks from President Barack Obama.
Good stop, bad stop: Vegas’ parallel pitches — Corporate-friendly! Hedonism capital! — are at the center of Obama-Goodman storm; Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009; OK, Nevada, we see you winking. President Barack Obama took a swipe at Las Vegas this week as an inappropriate place for corporate execs to meet. Now the president is talking about it. So are a lot of people. You can’t buy that kind of publicity. Does Nevada deserve a retraction? Or should Obama repeat the line a few more times?
Billy Joel: Everyman or nobody?: After the announcement that Billy Joel would play Vegas on Valentine’s Day, debate raged in the Sun newsroom over the merits — and demerits — of the piano man.; Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009; Brian Eckhouse loves Joel; Michael Mishak, he’s a Springsteen man.
Union power struggle escalates: Unite Here’s review board seeks federal probe as leadership battle poses threat to election; Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009; Unions want President Barack Obama’s pick for labor secretary, Rep. Hilda Solis, to be an advocate for workers’ rights who will advance an agenda that will tilt the balance of power back to organized labor.
Culinary parent union Unite Here to remain unified: Monday, Feb. 9, 2009; The Unite Here executive board voted Monday afternoon to remain unified after General President Bruce Raynor proposed a divorce. Unite Here is the parent union of Culinary Workers Local 226, the largest and most powerful union in Nevada.
Union looking past the paycheck: In redevelopment area, it wants assured ‘community benefits’; Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009; In the showdown between Culinary Union leader D. Taylor and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman over the city’s downtown redevelopment plan, a larger issue has been overlooked.
Arguing against card check, Ensign cites election that never was: National Labor Relations Board backs Culinary’s version of how it organized MGM Grand; Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009; Nevada Sen. John Ensign revised Las Vegas labor history this week when talking on a cable television public affairs show about the dangers of the card-check bill pending in Congress.
Grocers hear pitch opposing card check: Management labor lawyer tells group here legislation would be bad for business; Friday, Feb. 6, 2009; The conference room was packed, and the men at the podium told the crowd that, whether they realized it or not, they were in the midst of World War III. The presentation was titled “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble!!!”
Peggy Pierce, Democratic state assemblywoman: Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009; Peggy Pierce came to Las Vegas for a career in show business, but found work as a housekeeper and food server.
Localities to spend more than $1 million on lobbyists: Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009; Southern Nevada’s local governments are poised to spend more than $1 million in public funding on outside lobbyists to represent their interests in Carson City, where the 2009 legislative session opens on Monday.
Big union reels as card-check fight looms: Culinary leader in Vegas calls parent union chief’s actions ‘undemocratic’; Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009; At a time when Big Labor is pushing for one voice to win its most ambitious priority since the Great Depression -- “card check” legislation that would make it easier for workers to organize -- one of the country’s largest and most progressive unions is busy fighting its own civil war.
City committed to project as Culinary pushes to handicap it: Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009; Mayor Oscar Goodman and other city officials say they’re moving forward with their grand plans for a new city hall – price-tagged between $150 million and $267 million – for several key reasons.
What's at stake, for those who need and care: Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009; Thousands of Nevadans are feeling the effects of budget cuts, while bracing for the worst. Here are some of their stories.
Older workers ‘bumping’ young down jobs ladder: Those who need experience most are finding it ever tougher to get; Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009; For a variety of reasons, young adults are being forced out of the labor market as older workers take part-time and retail jobs that were once the province of the younger and less experienced.
Wal-Mart sensing a new political day?: Settlement of Nevada wage-and-hour lawsuits may be a nod to a more labor-friendly administration; Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008; Employees forced to work off the clock. Workers locked in overnight.
Slowdown offers Nevada a chance to look inward, plan for long term: Saturday, Dec. 27, 2008; That big sigh you hear is Nevada catching its breath.
We talk diversification, we don’t accomplish it: Nevada has failed in many attempts to lure nongaming industries; Sunday, Dec. 21, 2008; Identifying the challenge facing Nevada is a no-brainer for former Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones. Diversify. Nevada’s efforts at economic diversification, however earnest, have failed. As one Nevada researcher put it, “We haven’t gotten very far. But we keep a lot of people employed working on it.”
Obama-bred activists meet, chart course: Look out, Legislature: They vow to fight on health care, education and environment; Monday, Dec. 15, 2008; Across the Las Vegas Valley over the weekend, supporters of Barack Obama gathered to chart the post-November direction of a grass-roots movement that elected the Illinois senator president and swung Nevada blue.
Resurgent Reznor rocks Las Vegas: Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008; The last time I saw Nine Inch Nails in concert was 2000, when frontman Trent Reznor, after suffering a five-year bout of perfectionism and doubt that would make Axl Rose proud, reemerged with "The Fragile," a double-disc follow-up to his critically-acclaimed "The Downward Spiral."
Reform slate ousts Teamsters officials accused of sweetheart deals: Saturday, Dec. 13, 2008; A long-troubled Teamsters local has elected a leadership slate of reformers, throwing out incumbents accused of steering nonunion work to preferred companies in exchange for favors and jobs for relatives.
Culinary flexing its renewed muscle: It says its city hall fight is about taxpayers but larger battle emerges; Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008; The Culinary Union, emboldened by November election victories, is fighting on new ground and trying to punish its enemies. Its immediate goal: block Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman’s plan to build a new city hall — and dish out some payback to the federation of construction unions that supports Goodman’s efforts.
Change may come to more than D.C.: Obama network remains formidable force here, elsewhere; Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008; State lawmakers may need to brace for the politically unexpected when they descend on Carson City in February.
Trades council takes on Culinary in downtown development dispute: Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008; The simmering tension between the Culinary Union and the Southern Nevada Building and Construction Trades turned into all-out war this afternoon, with the trades council openly opposing the Culinary's move to repeal the City of Las Vegas' downtown redevelopment plan.
Culinary moves to block LV redevelopment & city hall project: Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008; The Culinary Union has taken its fight with Las Vegas City Hall to the next step. The 60,000-strong union of hotel and casino workers filed paperwork today try to kill a downtown redevelopment project vaunted by city officials as a "no-brainer" but derided by the Culinary as fiscally irresponsible.
Nobody wins: Second vote leaves nurses divided, unions’ fight unresolved: Friday, Dec. 5, 2008; In May, the Service Employees International Union -- the long-standing representative of nurses in Nevada and the state’s second-largest union -- barely survived a coup.
Adams is an oasis in a musical desert: But he may still be overshadowed by the more ballyhooed act for which he opens; Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008; Based on musical accomplishment alone, Ryan Adams should be headlining a bill with Oasis on Saturday night at the Pearl. But alas, the bigger egos -- and bigger record companies -- appear to have won out.
Culinary sees opportunity after Station makes its move: Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008; The wedge that the Culinary Union has been working to drive between Station Casinos management and its employees just got a lot bigger Monday.
IRS’ tip deal riles Culinary: Union says many workers likely to exit withholding program; Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008; Just 20 months ago, Uncle Sam wanted a bigger piece of the action from casino workers in Las Vegas — perhaps the largest concentration of big-tip earners in the country.
Tone of card-check support shifts: Key adviser won’t commit to Obama’s signing bill despite campaign promises; Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008; When Barack Obama stumped in Las Vegas union halls throughout the presidential campaign, he mentioned, almost without fail, his support for an obscure piece of legislation that would make it easier for workers to unionize.
Revisiting public workers’ pay: Local governments are asking unions to give them unprecedented breaks; Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008; In a state that prizes small, limited government, public employees have always been the exception, insulated from the economic ups and downs of the private sector. That is, until now. For the first time in Nevada’s history, county and city governments are turning to public employee unions, strongly suggesting labor leaders reopen existing contracts and make some concessions — or face the prospect of layoffs.
With gaming help, union puts owning a home within members’ reach: Friday, Nov. 21, 2008; When the Culinary Union opened contract talks with Strip casino operators last year, labor leaders came to the table with one overarching complaint: Homeownership, a core promise of union membership, had fallen out of the reach of many members.
Mayor gives Culinary a piece of his mind: Union critical of plan for downtown development, but it passes anyway; Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008; Most days of the week Oscar Goodman and labor get along. But on Wednesday, the Las Vegas mayor was firmly fixed on his legacy, making it clear he wouldn’t let anyone, including the Culinary Union, stand in the way of a downtown development plan.
Big bonuses in Republic merger: Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008; A proposed $5 billion merger between Republic Services and Allied Waste Industries Inc. includes compensation packages totaling $71 million to $152 million for the top people at the companies, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
GOP split on lessons of its loss, sees long road back: Sunday, Nov. 9, 2008; In the midst of the Republican bloodbath Tuesday night, Gov. Jim Gibbons stepped to the podium at the Palazzo sports book and told the party faithful, “Tonight is about the beginning of a new hope for Republicans in the state of Nevada.”
‘Obama Effect’ bit the pollsters who foretold small victory here: Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008; Never mind the “Bradley Effect,” pollsters in Nevada may now have to consider the “Obama Effect.”
How Obama won Nevada: Democrat makes history; Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008; A year and a half in the making, the Obama organization had become a machine. The Las Vegas Sun was given access to Obama meetings over the months, while conducting background interviews with Obama staff, under the condition the paper not publish any of what it learned about the organization until after the election.
Titus scores a personal comeback: After losing ’06 governor’s race, she beats incumbent in House; Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008; After Dina Titus lost the 2006 governor’s race to Jim Gibbons, who’d been accused of assaulting a women and other ethical misdeeds, she seemed to have lost some faith in politics.
Michelle Obama aims past crowd, to undecideds: Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008; Michelle Obama showed up at an outdoor rally in North Las Vegas on Monday and found the party had begun without her.