The Tyrant Billionaire

Mayer was well aware of the mafia families methods and power, agreeing that Hardy's approach was indeed correct.

"Are we still continuing our investment?" Mayer asked.

"Of course, I've already prepared the land," Hardy replied.

Hardy had bought a large amount of land in Las Vegas. After months of acquisition, he now had over 20,000 acres. With the Hardy Grand Hotel's booming business, land prices had started to soar, and his stockpiled land had appreciated significantly.

The 100 acres for building the Venetian Hotel would be purchased from himself, and it wouldn't be cheap.

For the hotel with Mayer, the land would also be bought from his company, as he owned the best land in Las Vegas.

"Previously, I consulted a few friends, and our consensus was an investment of 20 million. Now it seems the investment might need to increase," Mayer said.

"I think it can be set at 50 million," Hardy suggested.

"50 million? I'll need to discuss it with our partners," Mayer said.

"I'll wait for your news then."

After hanging up, Hardy picked up a speech from the desk. It was his script for tomorrow night's show, where he would participate in "Irina Tonight Show" to campaign for the Actors Guild presidency.

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This was his first appearance.

Standing under the spotlight, countless Americans would get to know him and he could not remain in the shadows forever.

The next evening.

Hardy arrived at ABC Television's large studio, which could accommodate over a hundred people, and today, it was filled with Hollywood stars.

Hardy was now the boss of a big Hollywood movie company and the largest radio company in the country. Most Hollywood movie stars were registered with the Actors Guild. Hardy invited them to get their votes.

As Hardy entered, many people stood at the door to greet him.

Looking around, he saw many big Hollywood stars, as well as directors, writers, and producers.

In the crowd, Hardy noticed Reagan standing behind the big stars. Reagan had already joined Hardy's agency and was now a signed actor under his company.

Reagan and Hedy Lamarr had just finished filming "Ghost," which was now in post production.

Hardy exchanged pleasantries with these people, needing to win their votes. When he reached Reagan, Reagan extended both hands to shake Hardy's hand. Hardy leaned in and asked, "Is there anything you are going to do after the movie finishes filming?"

"No, nothing," Reagan quickly replied.

"Are you interested in working at the Actors Guild? If I get elected president, you can be my assistant," Hardy said.

Reagan immediately looked delighted.

"I'd love to, Mr. Hardy."

Hardy smiled, "Then it's settled. From now on, you're my assistant for the 'Actors Guild Presidential Campaign.'"

In Hardy's memories, back then Reagan started from the Actors Guild. While acting, he joined the guild, became its president, then joined the Republican Party, becoming a California legislator, senator, governor, and eventually president.

His ability to rise step by step showed his competence and even as the U.S president he was one of the best, so Hardy thought of him for the assistant role. With many future tasks, Hardy could entrust the guild affairs to Reagan.

....

The Screen Actors Guild American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), established in 1933, has been around for 14 years and currently has over 40,000 members.

In the future, even Donald Trump will join this association.

In the United States, labor unions are an important part of societal development, holding significant social status and considerable power.

Even the President and senior members of Congress are wary of unions, as they hold voting power. For political leaders aspiring to become congressmen or presidents, they must protect union interests to garner union support.

Unions also have a substantial ability to raise funds for election campaigns. During presidential elections, a large portion of votes often come from unions, and similarly, about one third of the funding comes from union support.

At their peak, 35% of American workers were union members, and these members were often the main breadwinners of their families, highlighting the immense power of unions.

Hardy knew that the currently thriving Detroit automotive industry was later brought down by the largest union in the United States, the United Automobile Workers (UAW).

At its peak, the UAW had 1.5 million members. The union existed to fight for the welfare and rights of automobile workers. However, it wasn't a charitable organization; members had to pay dues, roughly 5% of their income.

The union collected dues to negotiate with manufacturers for better benefits. If the demands were not met, they would strike, potentially halting factory operations.

Strikes caused significant losses to factories. The factories would eventually compromise, benefiting the workers and resuming operations. However, when certain actions reach a certain extent, they can turn sour.

Union leaders, wanting to assert their presence, would frequently stir up trouble every few years, continually demanding increased benefits, reduced working hours, higher wages, and more perks. Eventually, the factories couldn't bear the burden, and some chose to relocate or simply shut down.

Many have joked that European businesses go under due to high rents from landlords, while American factories go under due to unions.

Detroit, once the automotive capital, saw many parts factories shut down under union pressure. Even world class companies like Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler eventually left, with Chrysler ultimately declaring bankruptcy.

The result was a massive wave of layoffs and unemployment.

High salaries and pensions? When companies go bankrupt, those things become meaningless.

The so called manufacturing exodus from the United States had multiple reasons. One was societal transformation towards high tech and service industries. Another was the unsustainable high wages and benefits for workers, which made businesses overburdened. Unions were like hidden landmines, ready to explode at any moment, prompting factories to relocate abroad.

Post WWII, Japan and South Korea rose as manufacturing nations due to these factors. By the 1970s, the U.S. heavily relied on imports, further declining its manufacturing sector.

There are many types of unions in the U.S., numbering in the hundreds, with the actors union being relatively smaller in membership.

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