As I said in an earlier document,
Like all successful businesses Jack Cleveland Casino strictly controls costs. Waste not, want not. Especially labor costs. And most of all, overtime. In almost five years I have never been payed a penny more than I was owed. And that’s how it should be.
Likewise, although I wear two hats, Jack and SPFPA, I have never confused the two. Jack is Jack and Union is Union. When I go to a disciplinary hearing or when an employee is exercising their Weingarten Rights, I always clock out. I never do union business on Jack’s dime. I wouldn’t think of it. Nor would Jack tolerate it.
Therefore, you can appreciate how flabbergasted I was when Mark Crawford doing his best impersonation of a Public Square panhandler, hat in hand, begged the Jack negotiating committee to pay the approximately $1,200.00 in time loss that was owed to the four Jack Security Officers who attended the four days of negotiations. And even more flabbergasted when without batting an eye the Jack spokesperson agreed.
I mean that doesn’t even pass the sniff test. There is something definitely rotten in Denmark. Who would even muster up the nerve to ask such an outrageous question? Lets just say for the the sake of the argument that I told Jack Casino that I had to go to Detroit for a week on Union Business. Oh, and by the way, I also expect Jack to pay my way and compensate me at my going rate of pay for time missed from work. Forget how horrible the optics, it reeks of quid pro quo.
A guy who for four days does nothing to benefit our local union, who for four days actually undermines said union and said local president, now has the unmitigated gall to add insult to injury by saving $1,200 to blow at this years SPFPA convention in Disney World. That’s what flabbergasted means. Blown away. And even more flabbergasted, when without batting an eye the Jack spokesperson caved, succumbed, lost their verve, almost like a hypnotic spell, a snap of the fingers without any thought and Mark Crawford was in.
“Begging (also panhandling or mendicancy) is the practice of imploring others to grant a favor, often a gift of money, with little or no expectation of reciprocation. A person doing such is called a beggar, panhandler, or mendicant.”
wikipedia
One could say that Mark Crawford, upon begging Jack to absorb the time loss wage costs for the four union members to attend the negotiations, did so with the understanding that he would not return the favor. That’s the nature of begging. The beggar doesn’t pay you back.
On the other hand, Jack Casino has a history of never overpaying anybody – not one penny. So for Jack to simply hand over without any discussion or other compensation, to Mark Crawford, $1,200.00 as a gift during contract negotiations is unrealistic and naive. Of course Jack got something for it.
Dan Gilbert is not in the pan handling business, otherwise he wouldn’t be a billionaire. The question is what did Jack get?
The BEGGAR-PANHANDLER STRATEGY is used by one party to ask and receive without appearing to receive or give benefit in return. That strategy failed, because Jack was not in a good Samaritan position. Jack Cleveland Casino is not a non-profit charitable organization. So the panhandler paid something, even if he didn’t want to give the appearance of paying, but not out of the pockets of the panhandlers. They paid out of the Local Union 141 member’s pockets.
This is what happened: In my opinion of course.
The Hickey-Crawford team promised to get Officer Steve Davies to accept the first offer (it’s called the BEST OFFER) Jack made for wage rates in exchange for the $1,200.00 that HICKEY-CRAWFORD was obligated to pay the union members.
The LAST BEST OFFER never happened. Further, private union discussion over the first BEST OFFER never happened. The offer was given by Jack and then Hickey-Crawford proceeded to make sure that Officer Steve Davies was neutralized in any attempt to pursue a LAST BEST OFFER – by using threats of bodily harm to him and his family, which prompted Officer Davies to immediately resign his post.
Do I think Jack asked the Hickey-Crawford team for that concession?
No. I think the Hickey-Crawford team offered to make the exchange in such a way that Jack wasn’t even aware of what was actually being manipulated, then acted like it was an open begging situation when everyone was present, rather than a part of the negotiation.
David Hickey is a professional magician, so he knows what the slight of hand means, and knows how to trick people into believing a lie. Magic is a lie. It’s a manipulation using distraction as a strategy to make someone believe the lie. David Hickey is a long-time professional magician turned UNION BOSS.
by Officer Steve Davies
LOCAL UNION 141 