I began working for The Casino in the spring of 1998 in The Security Department, Upon my arrival there The Security Department was in the process of forming a Union. I went to the meeting and really didn't think much of what they were offering but I stuck with it in hopes of better things to come about. Soon thereafter the Union voted in a contract, the company hated it but we stood together as one. Things improved in certain aspects but the wages only rose slightly. I started making $8.00 an hour with the promise from the security director that after 90 days of probation I would be getting a dollar an hour increase in pay, Guess what I never did see that dollar increase. I was always told that it had been submitted to a higher authority but after 4 years I guess it had been filed in the round filing cabinet. Things went pretty well for around a year, people came and left the department, there were constantly new faces entering the department, I had spoken with several Officers that had filed grievances and they were unhappy with the way they were handled so I got to thinking, I should apply for a Union Stewards position to see if I can help my fellow Officers out. I spoke to the Chief Steward and was appointed to the position as shift steward.

I decided that I would try my union skills so an employee came to me with a complaint and I dove right into it and confronted management concerning the complaint, I pointed out the points that made it a legitimate complaint, I filed the required paperwork and the grievance was found in favor of the employee. After that I felt really good about helping out another Union member I vowed to do my best to do what is right for my people. everyone came to me with their problems and complaints and during my time there I won 98% of the grievances I had filed. The security Director by this time was getting really angry with me and had said some things to other people that eventually got back to me. He was steaming mad at me for in his terms causing turmoil in the department, I just wanted the contract to be adheared to, every employee treated the same.

The Problems started when I had requested to take off early to attend a Summary suspention hearing in Carlinville Illinois, I had been summonsed to appear in a DUI case by the States Attorney. I asked to leave work one and a half hours before the end of my shift and was denied. I then went and talked to the director of facilities operations ( following the chain of command) I spoke with the director and he granted me the time off so I attended the hearing. Later that evening upon returning home I recieved a phone call from the security manager, he stated that I went over his head and it made him mad that I had done this, I told him that it was required that I attend the hearing or the case could be lost, he told me that he would take steps that would be detremental to my job, I told him that all I needed was a few hours off early to attend and that I had found someone to come into work early to relieve me but he was still angry. the next day he called me into the office and proceeded to chew me out for going over his head, he called me a liar because I had told him that The Facilities Director had Authorized me leaving. He confered with the Facilities Director and found that he had authorized it . He was steaming mad then. Things went along about the same for a while but the contract was due to expire and we were to begin negotiating a new one, I was well involved with the union at this time and was looking forward to negotiating a new contract, The meetings began and we had proposed a fair increase in pay but the company basically threw our proposals away, we decided to take back to the membership the companies package. We presented it to the membership and took a vote and it was voted down 57-1. That really made the company mad. back to the bargaining table we go.

In the mean time a friend of mine and fellow Officer had constructed a website to allow the security members to discuss the negotiations and workings of the casino, I being very vocal about the contract thought it to be a good idea. We voiced our opinions about the way management had been handling things, the low low increase in wages, we were getting the security department to becoming a very tight group until one day when after working my 12 hour shift I was called into the office where I was met by the Facilities director, the Survellance director, and a human resources represenative. I was given a paper stating that I was being suspended pending investigation of alleged threats against management. I questioned them on what they were talking about and they explained that they had read the postings on a website and felt that there were threatening remarks towards management by two people known only as BelleCopper and BelleShooter. I stated that this investigation seems to be a termination not a suspention. I was escorted off company property by three members of management and told to stay away from Casino Property which I did. I then recieved a telephone call from The Alton Police department Detective asking me questions concerning postings that were on the website, I answered the questions, he asked if I was a union steward and if there had been any recent contract talks there which I stated yes. a few weeks later I recieved a call from the company lawyer requesting a meeting with him at his office, I met with the attorney and he questioned me on some of the postings that were on it and asked me how I percieved them, I told him that I did not see anything threatening at all in the postings and that it was just a group of employees voicing their Personal opinions about the recent negotiations. A few weeks went by and I was outside in the yard when a red crown victoria pulled into the driveway, a detective got out and handed me a white envelope with a letter stating that I was being terminated from the casino. I questioned the detective as to why I was being terminated and he explained that his agency reviewed the case and their determination was unfounded. I read the letter and it stated that I was being terminated for violating the companies workplace violence policy.

I was shocked as I can't see how you could violate a policy when you did nothing at all while on company property, every posting was done on our own time in our own homes from our own computers, No threats were ever made no violence was ever displayed, we just got terminated because we were so vocal about the Contract. after we were let go the contract was again voted on and the same contract that was voted down 57-1 got voted on and ratified. Everyone I have talked to said that the reason we got terminated was because we were so vocal on the conract and the company had to have something to get rid of us and it worked. We are in the process of grieving the terminations and I am hiring an Attorney to fight the wrongful termination. What has been presented with this case is The Casino has denied us our rights to free speech and self statement (2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution). This particular casino does whatever they need to suit them and has no regard for any Laws that pertain to situations such as this. They make up their own rules as they go to suit them. I plan on fighting them until my innocence is proven in a court of law.

There are instances that pertain to this case that I didn't go into detail on due to the fact that I would have been writing a novel. One to touch on is I was accused of laying a loaded .45 Magnum on the negotiating table while the contract was being negotiated. again another false allegation. Don't you all think that the police would have been notified right then instead of waiting three weeks to make that allegation?????? I would think so. I plan on pursuing the filing of a false police report against the person or persons responsible for making that allegation against me.

Sincerely,
Former Casino Security Officer