New Frontier Hotel and Casino
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The New Frontier was a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip within the unincorporated suburb of Paradise, Nevada, USA. It was the second resort that opened on the Las Vegas Strip and operated continuously from October 30, 1942 until it closed its doors for good at 12:00 A.M. on July 16, 2007.
The Longest Strike
From September 21, 1991 until February 1, 1998 members of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 in Las Vegas staged a strike against the New Frontier and the Elardis. A settlement was reached on October 28, 1997 when Ruffin announced he would purchase the New Frontier from the Elardis for $165 million. The strike ended when Ruffin officially took possession.
According to an article in the Las Vegas Sun, the following events occurred during the strike:
17 CWU Local 226 strikers died.
106 babies were born to CWU member mothers who have walked the picket.
The Dunes, Landmark, Sands and Hacienda were all closed and imploded
More than 21,340 hotel rooms were constructed in the Las Vegas Strip.
Construction on an additional 19,000 rooms and suites was started.
235 of the original 550 strikers had walked the line in shifts manned 24 hours a day.
In the next 22 years, insert the name of any CET property in the above story. Don't know why this is one of my first lasting memories of Vegas, but was amazed that these guys were as persistent as they were. In the end, all they accomplished was getting the hotel demolished. Guess it was worth it.