Red Rock Casino Employees Fighting District Court Order

Employees of the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa in Las Vegas is fighting back against a court order the union negotiations must begin.

Union issues continue to plague Station Casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada. The operator is currently facing a legal challenge from a local union, with some employees saying that benefits from provided before negotiations could begin as a means of bribery to keep other employees from approving unionization. A recent order from a district court in the city requires Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa to start negotiations with the union. The casino is fighting back against this order.

Not Ready to Negotiate

In early August, Judge Gloria Navarro ordered the operator to recognize the Culinary Union and start the negotiation process. The judge made this decision based on her belief that the parent companies of the casino had interfered with the employee right to unionize.

In the order, the judge said that Station Casinos increased employee benefits before the union election and influenced the outcome of the vote due to the added incentives. National Labor Relations Board regional director, Cornele Overstreet, said the said claiming that Red Rock did not allow a fair vote to take place.

The review of the casino is still taking place within the board, so in the meantime, the judge has ruled that the company must see its management team meet with union officials to negotiate terms for workers contracts. The Culinary Union currently represents around 60,000 employees in the Las Vegas and Reno areas.

Was the Vote Tainted?

The litigation against Station Casinos and Red Rock is based on whether or not the vote to unionize was a fair one. The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation filed an amicus brief for employees that argues that if the staff wanted to unionize they would have already.

In December 2019, employees of Red Rock held a union vote in secret. The vote came back with 534 in favor and 627 against. Even though the vote was negative, a filing was made for unionization due to a former card check that revealed the majority of employees want to join the union.

According to the Foundation’s president, Mark Mix, it is ‘outrageous’ that the judge has issued an order to impose a union that is not wanted based on the results of a secret ballot. Mix says that the secret ballot is more reliable than any other vote because employees are not pressured or harassed into signing a union organization card.

Mix stated further that if federal labor law is supposed to stand by employee freedom and rights, then the ruling by Navarro should be overturned and follow the real feelings of the employees to not unionize.

The amicus brief that was filed gives additional information to the court in the case. This information is considered before a ruling is issued. The argument by the Foundation shows that the ruling has had a major impact on the employees of the casino and more than just those who are directly involved in the case.

Just a few days ago, employees of Red Rock demonstrated their frustration by taking part in a protest outside the union headquarters. The union called the act a publicity stunt and said it was only being done to draw attention to the case. The Culinary Union wasn’t even in the office that day, which didn’t make much sense when it came to protesting.

Many officials of the union spoke out about the protest and claimed that it was management that was onsite during the event and not everyday employees.