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LAS VEGAS -- Drew Johnson and his wife, Tina had the life many Americans only dream of: A big house in a swanky suburb, a backyard hot tub, and a $100,000 deposit on a new condo with views of the Las Vegas Strip and 24-hour concierge service.
They did it all on the salaries of a construction-equipment salesman and a cocktail waitress who brought in $1,000 a week in tips alone. But the recession has slashed their incomes by nearly half, and financing for the condo might not come through.
During the boom years, Las Vegas wasn't just a place where gamblers could hit the jackpot, but where hard-working <strong>hotel maids and cocktail waitresses could, too.</strong> The city offered something almost no other place in America did: upward mobility for the working class.
While average wages stagnated throughout much of the country over the past decade, pay in Nevada skyrocketed. Wages in the state grew at nearly double the national rate between 2000 and 2008, according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank.
Union workers -- who account for the bulk of employment along the Las Vegas Strip -- <strong>saw their pay grow by 12.6% between 2000 and 2008, while union workers nationwide saw an increase of 2.9%,</strong> according to the Economic Policy Institute. Nevada's non-union pay increased by 5.4% in the same period, while wages for all workers in the U.S. increased by 1.6%.
The union made upward mobility part of the Vegas allure. In Vegas, the union-negotiated salary for a hotel maid is still $14.25 an hour. In contrast, the median wage for the same worker in Orlando is $8.84 an hour; in Phoenix, it's $9.25, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
While the union sent casino workers' salaries and benefits up, tips were often what helped push ordinary workers into the world of posh condos and sports cars. Tips could triple the base pay of casino workers who dealt directly with guests
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124804383363363397.html
<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124804383363363397.html">LINK</a>
They did it all on the salaries of a construction-equipment salesman and a cocktail waitress who brought in $1,000 a week in tips alone. But the recession has slashed their incomes by nearly half, and financing for the condo might not come through.
During the boom years, Las Vegas wasn't just a place where gamblers could hit the jackpot, but where hard-working <strong>hotel maids and cocktail waitresses could, too.</strong> The city offered something almost no other place in America did: upward mobility for the working class.
While average wages stagnated throughout much of the country over the past decade, pay in Nevada skyrocketed. Wages in the state grew at nearly double the national rate between 2000 and 2008, according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank.
Union workers -- who account for the bulk of employment along the Las Vegas Strip -- <strong>saw their pay grow by 12.6% between 2000 and 2008, while union workers nationwide saw an increase of 2.9%,</strong> according to the Economic Policy Institute. Nevada's non-union pay increased by 5.4% in the same period, while wages for all workers in the U.S. increased by 1.6%.
The union made upward mobility part of the Vegas allure. In Vegas, the union-negotiated salary for a hotel maid is still $14.25 an hour. In contrast, the median wage for the same worker in Orlando is $8.84 an hour; in Phoenix, it's $9.25, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
While the union sent casino workers' salaries and benefits up, tips were often what helped push ordinary workers into the world of posh condos and sports cars. Tips could triple the base pay of casino workers who dealt directly with guests
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124804383363363397.html
<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124804383363363397.html">LINK</a>
