Labor panel ends 10 year case with Venetian in Las Vegas

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.lvrj.com/business/44221747.html

By HOWARD STUTZ
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

The National Labor Relations Board has ended a 10-year-old case with The Venetian, deciding to withdraw an earlier finding that the resort violated U.S. labor law in 1999 when it asked police to arrest union protesters who were conducting a sidewalk rally outside the Strip property.

"Under the unusual circumstances of this case, we do not believe that it would be a good use of the board's limited resources to determine the lawfulness of The (Venetian's) call to the police and requests for action," the board wrote in its decision published Friday.

The case had been sent back to the board in 2007 by the federal appeals court, which said the labor panel needed to reconsider The Venetian's argument that it was within its First Amendment rights to summon the police.

Labor Relations Board Chairman Wilma Liebman, however, said the federal courts have resolved the property rights issue and determined the Strip sidewalk in front of The Venetian was a public forum where people could exercise free speech.

The board ordered The Venetian to comply with its 2005 decision, which directed property officials from telling sidewalk demonstrators they were subject to arrest for trespassing and were under citizen's arrest.

FULL story at link.