Altering the landscape: Reassessing UNITE HERE in Las Vegas’ Hospitality Industry (original) (raw)

Most visitors to Las Vegas stay on " the Strip "-a four mile stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard South, on which they find many of the world's largest hotels. Tourists come here not only to gamble, but to partake in the spectacle that is Las Vegas – scaled replicas of the Egyptian pyramids, Venetian canals, and the Statue of Liberty-all only a few minutes walk from each other. The Mirage, the hotel which started the contemporary wave of themed resorts in Las Vegas, hosts an artificial volcano in front of the hotel which "erupts" periodically during the evening while emitting the scent of Piña Colada. Most visitors anticipate the spectacle they will see in Las Vegas as tourist books and websites guide their gaze to the pre-approved sights of Las Vegas. Although Las Vegas is often portrayed as such, the city is not just a space of consumption, but a space of production as well. It is a peculiar space where these aspects of society are constantly negotiated – a space where capital becomes fixed in the urban landscape, a space of tourist consumption of spectacle and thrill, and a space of near constant interactive labour. Like other tourist cities, a large portion of the economy involves the almost simultaneous consumption and production of hospitality services. Waitresses have to be co-present to serve a meal, dealers have to be at the table to deal the cards, and receptionists must be at the desk to check in new customers (McDowell 2009). However, despite the proximity, most visitors will be unaware that the staff of the hotels, restaurants and casinos they frequent – the housekeepers, waiters, bell hops, bartenders, desk clerks, and cooks-are likely to be relatively well-paid, unionised workers. The one exception is when the normal 2 functioning of the hospitality industry erupts into heated labour protest on the streets and pavements of the City – creating another type of spectacle on the Las Vegas Strip. Like the carefully timed explosions of Mirage volcano, this eruption of labour power is not some innate force of nature, but is planned, strategic, and performative. This spectacle makes visible the institutional and cultural embeddedness of labour and is also intended to disrupt the pre-ordained tourist gaze. Where they differ is that the eruption of labour power has the potential to permanently and radically alter the economic landscape of the city. <INSERT IMAGE 12.1 HERE>