Starting late last night something in Las Vegas happened that is very rare, and, in this case, very sad. Union workers started walking off the job at the massive CityCenter site on the Strip. The $9-billion-plus budgeted for the CityCenter project employs thousands of workers. The CityCenter project has been billed by MGM Mirage as the largest private construction project in history. The work stoppage is over one issue: safety conditions. There have been six deaths on site. The most recent was over the weekend. 

This morning I went down to CityCenter to interview some of the picketing construction workers. By chance I walked over to the demonstration side by side with a sign-carrying county commissioner, Tom Collins, who thanked me for coming out to support the marchers.  I told him I was covering the protest, and would he like to comment: "You need to talk to the guys who have been on this job," he said. "They want to go home to their wives at night." If I had more time, I would have liked pointing out to Collins that a number of women work in construction these days. But he was soon off shaking hands with workers.

I talked to some of the striking workers (who actually were all guys when I was there), none of whom would give their name for fear of retaliation. One pointed out how close some of the gigantic cranes are placed to one another in the five-tower development, and how difficult to impossible it becomes for them to move simultaneously without accidents. Others complained that the large number of workers required to build the project so quickly meant that people with little experience were being thrust onto one of the most complex construction sites ever attempted. "A guy is serving burgers one week and doing this the next week and that doesn't work," a glazier in his early 40s told me.

The workers had a number of allegations, including that the six deaths reported so far do not reflect the number of people who have been hospitalized and had serious injuries working on the site. One worker said there may be no safe way to build something this big in three years, that the project should take 15 years. On the other hand, other workers felt that if union safety inspectors were allowed on site and more care was taken, the project can be completed safely. All felt safety had been neglected in the interest of speed and expediency.

One thing is for sure: safety has to come first, and this situation will likely be resolved quickly. How can both be the case? Everyone has a lot to lose from an extended work stoppage, notably the general contractor and MGM Mirage. There will be huge financial penalties for the contractor and loss of income to MGM Mirage if CityCenter doesn't open as planned next year. If part of the concern is the speed construction workers must perform at to complete CityCenter, that problem alone would be exacerbated by days lost to a strike. For something as complex as CityCenter, the idea of bringing in non-union workers is laughably not an option.

So far what stands out to me is that the only people out money so far are not the companies involved but the union workers participating in the stoppage. At a time of economic crisis, they are walking away from a job they tell me offers them unlimited overtime. The reason: They are scared to return to a site some are calling City Cemetery.

I contacted CityCenter general contractor Perini Building and was told no one was available for comment. I left a message and will report back if I hear anything. I also contacted MGM Mirage, the company that will own and operate CityCenter. I am sharing its full statement with you because in part this seems to say nothing about the situation of the work stoppage. Yet, for all its corporate vacuity, the MGM Mirage statement does yield up some interesting parsing.

"General Contractor Perini Building, in cooperation with the construction trade unions, has implemented an aggressive safety training, education and oversight program at the CityCenter worksite. Workplace safety is the joint responsibility of the contractor, sub-contractors and unions; in practice however, safety can only be assured by individuals. We fully support Perini, its sub-contractors and unions all continuing their work together to encourage individual adherence to workplace safety practices."

Of course, the union workers are not "continuing their work." And, it is curious that MGM Mirage, in noting how the company "fully supports Perini," has chosen to ignore the incongruent situation taking place: a work stoppage called by the unions. Instead, MGM Mirage again voices full support of Perini but hedged slightly: "We fully support Perini, its sub-contractors and unions all continuing their work together to encourage individual adherence to workplace safety practices." So, maybe that full support for Perini begins to erode in the face of the "working together" breaking down?

Regardless, one thing is clear, when construction resumes on CityCenter, safety is going to have to be the No. 1 priority. No one, of course, should have died in the first place building CityCenter. But the continued creation of this luxury resort for gamblers, shoppers and vacationers should not be allowed to have an ever escalating body count.

UPDATE: This afternoon, union employees and general contractor Perini reached an agreement over safety concerns at the CityCenter construction site on the Strip after workers walked off the job last night. This followed the deaths of six workers involved in building CityCenter. MGM Mirage, owner of CItyCenter, issued the following statement a few minutes ago:

“We have been informed of today's agreement between Perini and the Building Trades. We will continue to insist that Perini, its sub-contractors and the unions work together to ensure that safety awareness and individual responsibility is foremost in the minds of every worker every day on the job site."

(Photo Richard Abowitz)