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labor Business-funded group pushes back on union tactics By Andrew Doughman staff writer Those guys walking into the Cosmopolitan are a bunch of "losers." They're as fat as "beached whales." They're flat-out "ugly." That's the type of language you can hear in videos showing Culinary Local 226 workers antagonizing tourists as they patronized the resort, which is in negotiations with the union. The videos sparked dozens of stories in the media, but little has been said about the group that sent them to the press. That organization is Alliance to Protect Nevada Jobs and it has vowed to become a force in Nevada politics. Launched in September, the group's crusade to get the Culinary to change its tactics is just one of several initiatives it's undertaking. Zachary Moyle, communications director for the Alliance, said the group also will try to persuade voters that a 2 percent business tax on the 2014 ballot will have a negative impact. And Dave McGowan, the group's director, said the organization will look at labor unions in North Las Vegas, a city mired in financial woes. Some observers have labeled the group as anti-union. The Alliance to Protect Nevada Jobs says this isn't the case. "Just because we oppose the decisions of union leaders doesn't mean we oppose the workers," McGowan said. "We're not advocating that the Culinary can't have a deal with the Cosmo; we're just dealing with the way they're trying to get it. ... It's a cliche thing but (tourism is) the lifeblood of our economy. If those 'beached whales' decide to go to Atlantic City, nobody has jobs." Their campaign to get the Culinary to change its tactics appears to have been somewhat successful. The union staged a sit-in at the Cosmopolitan in November, a change from the picketing events in which members shouted at tourists. The group has assembled some familiar names from Nevada's political world, but how they get paid is somewhat of a mystery. | 2 DECEMBER 2013 20131202_VI07_F.indd 7 | ry as chambers of commerce and other business leagues. That group has top staffers who also work as consultants with Republican clients. Last year, the group's president was Fred Wszolek and the director was Kathryn Gage, who are both principals at WPP Strategies. That firm produced work for 2008 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. "We have conservative ideals and we want to promote a good business climate, and I believe that there are a lot of union workers who want good representation and are in need of a fairer business climate," Moyle said. Who's paying these guys? vegas inc file out of line?: Culinary Union members picket in front of the Cosmopolitan Resort in March. Here's a look at who they are and who's behind them: Who works for the Alliance? The Alliance's employees are Moyle, Ron Futrell and McGowan — who all have backgrounds in Republican politics in Nevada. McGowan says he's a dues-paying member of the Teamsters union. He has worked for Republican candidates and is a former political director of the Clark County Republican Party. Futrell is a radio host and media consultant. In 2012, he worked as Republican congressional candidate Danny Tarkanian's spokesman. Moyle is a consultant who worked for 2012 Republican presidential candidates Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman. He was also executive director of the Clark County Republican Party from 2006 to 2009. The Alliance's parent organization is the Workforce Fairness Institute, a D.C.based nonprofit in the same tax catego- The Alliance wouldn't say. The Workforce Fairness Institute says it gets its money from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other "business owners who enjoy good working relationships with their employees, and would like to maintain those good relationships without the unfair interference of government bureaucrats, union organizers and special interests." David Damore, political science professor at UNLV, said it's pretty common for groups to conduct education campaigns that almost approach direct advocacy in elections. "There's these sort of groups with unclear ties to businesses or individuals and they keep popping up and trying to have success," he said. Although Moyle said the Cosmopolitan does not give them money, he declined to name any other specific businesses that do or do not donate to the Alliance to Protect Nevada Jobs. Other groups involved in politics in Nevada also don't disclose their donors. But labor unions are hoping the Alliance will be more forthcoming. "I am just hopeful that if they truly want to be a part of the dialogue on workers' rights, they will be more transparent," said Yvanna Cancela, communications director for the Culinary Local 226. Other union advocates were less diplomatic. see union, page 10 7 11/27/13 12:42:33 PM

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