Header Small Vol. 3, No. 2, 2007 • Page 7

WILLIAM J. TURNER, JR.

SHOP STEWARD

  

Steward Turner

Born in Kansas City, MO, William moved to Las Vegas with his family in 1975. He attended the local schools in Las Vegas, graduating from Las Vegas High School. He attended Community College for the next few years seeking a degree in education.

Then in 1988, William went to the Culinary Union Local 226 and was
referred to the Golden Nugget where he went to work as a Bus Person in the buffet. He was promoted to a Food Runner, followed by Food Prep Helper, and then he became a Bar Porter. Being such an exemplary employee, William continued his path up the career ladder being promoted to an Apprentice Bartender and transferring his membership to Bartenders Local 165. Taking advantage of the Bartenders Training Program, he received his certification as a Bartender and was promoted to that position in 2001.
Since he worked so well throughout the years with the various

management teams, William became a Shop Steward since he felt he
could be an effective liaison between his fellow workers and management. He also wanted to help guide others in their career path by taking advantage of his experiences in working his way up through the ranks.
His current experience in working on the negotiating committee has made him realize the importance of being a part of a strong union.
William spends a lot of family time with his wife (Charity), son (Ashton), and daughter (Tiera).
His hobbies include playing chess, camping with his family, and watching the Kansas City Chiefs.

JAMES TANNER

SHOP STEWARD

James “Jimmy” Tanner grew up in Las Vegas graduating from Eldorado High School and then attended USC for a few years studying Economics and Spanish. Upon looking at all his student loans, he decided to come back to Las Vegas and began working odd jobs in various hotels when he landed at the Eldorado in Henderson as Apprentice Bartender. After a few months, he moved to Caesars and then the Flamingo in July 1991. Working as an Apprentice for 2½ years, James completed the Bartender’s training program and in 1994 was promoted to a Bartender, eventually transferring to Paris in 1999 for it’s grand opening. Jimmy became a Shop Steward at Paris this past April because he said he wanted to give back to the union for helping him along the way and was interested in being a part of the recent contract negotiations.

He feels that being a Shop Steward falls into a “reap what you sow” situation and should never be taken lightly. He states that sometimes you can come up with simple solutions to a problem that might only be due to a language situation and being bilingual is able to help work out some issues that might otherwise have not been as easily resolved. Other times where turning a blind eye might be easier, he feels that it is imperative to deal with the situation head on rather than wait for the problem to

Steward Tanner

arise again at a later date.

In being a part of the contract negotiations, Jimmy found the process to be a “give and take” and stating that although you can see both sides, ultimately you are the voice of reason for your fellow workers and seeing that they are fairly represented is of the utmost importance. He feels that taking part in the negotiations was a tremendous opportunity in helping secure a good contract.

When not working, being a part of contract negotiations, or helping out as Shop Steward, Jimmy likes to spend time with his wife (Cathy) going to movies. They also enjoy traveling to national parks, and visiting family and friends and he professes to be a master chef when it comes to cooking on his new BBQ grill.

 

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