After several attempts for Red Rock Casino employees to join the Culinary Union in Las Vegas have failed, the matter reached the US District Court. Last month, Judge Gloria Navarro ordered the venue to start collaborating with unions. Now, reportedly Judge Navarro reaffirmed her ruling, asking Red Rock to immediately start talks with the Culinary Union and Bartenders Union.
Red Rock Casino Yet to Join Workers’ Union
Workers’ unions are organizations that ensure that employees from different industries are treated fairly. They play a vital part in protecting many employees from being subjected to unfair work conditions and help increase employee benefits. Currently, the Culinary Union in Nevada represents some 60,000 workers employed by hotels and casinos within the Strip and Downtown areas.
Although workers’ unions help thousands of employees, not all employers agree to collaborate with them. One such example is the efforts to unionize the Red Rock Resort on the Las Vegas Strip. Efforts to unionize the resort date back a decade. It was back in 2019 when Red Rock came close to joining the Culinary Union. However, those efforts failed once the resort introduced more employee benefits.
More recently, near the end of July, the unionization of the Red Rock resort was forwarded to the US District Court. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed a complaint after Red Rock’s owners, Station Casinos, launched a massive benefits campaign that once again pushed back the efforts of the venue joining the Culinary Union.
US District Court Judge Gloria Navarro was tasked with the case and issued a ruling requiring Station Casinos’ property to join the Culinary Union and its Bartenders Union affiliate to represent the property’s non-gaming employees. Additionally, Judge Navarro stressed that the recently launched benefits “intended to deter Red Rock employees’ exercise of their collective bargaining rights.“
Consequently, Station Casinos said in a statement that it “firmly and respectfully disagree with the result.” The company said that that court decision overturns Red Rock team members’ decision to reject the Culinary Union. Although Red Rock’s owner disagreed with the court ruling, the Culinary Union said in a statement that the ruling is “extraordinary.” Moreover, the union showed readiness to help “negotiating and winning a union contract to protect workers.“
Reportedly Red Rock Must Immediately Start Discussions with Unions
Now, according to a report on Casino.org, Judge Navarro’s ruling was reaffirmed, meaning that Red Rock must immediately initiate talks with the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165. Additionally, Judge Navaro revealed that “Red Rock has failed to raise serious legal questions regarding the court’s order.” She added that even if such questions were raised, the operator did not demonstrate “that the balance of hardships tips sharply in its favor.”
The operator responded by saying that considering that, because there is a legal appeal on the matter, that order shouldn’t be enforced. Red Rock also stressed that forcing the venue to collaborate with the unions will result in “irreparable harm.” With that in mind, considering the current situation, we will just have to wait and see how this legal hurdle will unravel.