In this Book

buy this book Buy This Book in Print
summary
The stories of the shadowy networks and wealthy people who bankrolled and sustained Las Vegas's continuous reinvention are well documented in works of scholarship, journalism, and popular culture. Yet no one has studied closely and over a long period of time the dynamics of the workforce—the casino and hotel workers and their relations with the companies they work for and occasionally strike against. James P. Kraft here explores the rise and changing fortunes of organized and unorganized labor as Las Vegas evolved from a small, somewhat seedy desert oasis into the glitzy tourist destination that it is today.Drawing on scores of interviews, personal and published accounts, and public records, Kraft brings to life the largely behind-the-scenes battles over control of Sin City workplaces between 1960 and 1985. He examines successful and failed organizing drives, struggles over pay and equal rights, and worker grievances and arbitration to show how the resort industry’s evolution affected hotel and casino workers. From changes in the political and economic climate to large-scale strikes, backroom negotiations, and individual worker-supervisor confrontations, Kraft explains how Vegas's overwhelmingly service-oriented economy works—and doesn't work—for the people and companies who cater to the city's pleasure-seeking visitors.American historians and anyone interested in the history of labor or Las Vegas will find this account highly original, insightful, and even-handed.

Table of Contents

Download PDF Download Full Book Download EPUB Download Full EPUB
  1. Cover
  2. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Title Page
  2. pp. i-iii
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Copyright Page
  2. p. iv
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Dedication
  2. pp. v-vi
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Contents
  2. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Acknowledgments
  2. pp. ix-x
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Introduction
  2. pp. 1-8
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 1. The Rise of Corporate Resorts
  2. pp. 9-32
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 2. Working in Las Vegas
  2. pp. 33-52
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 3. The First Work Stoppages
  2. pp. 53-72
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 4. The Struggle for the Casinos
  2. pp. 73-95
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 5. Workplace Incidents
  2. pp. 96-116
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 6. Fighting for Equal Rights
  2. pp. 117-138
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 7. The Spirit of ’76
  2. pp. 139-158
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 8. Management Digs In, 1982– 1984
  2. pp. 159-179
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 9. The Strike of 1984–1985
  2. pp. 180-199
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Afterword
  2. pp. 200-207
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Notes
  2. pp. 209-255
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Essay on Sources
  2. pp. 257-264
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Index
  2. pp. 265-273
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Image Plates
  2. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
Back To Top