On Friday, May 27, representatives and union members from the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 501 held an hour-long rally outside of Resorts World Las Vegas, in response to allegations of unfair labor practices and broken union promises.
IUOE officials told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the casino’s parent company, Genting Group, promised to fill 3,000 union positions when Resorts World first opened in June of last year. However, after the IUOE began raising support for a representation vote, Resorts World allegedly attempted to quell those efforts in multiple ways, including hiring a third party who acted as a “union buster.”
A IUOE spokesperson told the Review-Journal that the rally was an attempt to get Resorts World to “commit to what they agreed to.” Numerous state elected officials were also in attendance–Assembly members Cecelia González, Selena Torres and Susan Martinez all spoke at the event.
In addition to the in-person rally, a letter penned by 13 state senators and Assembly members was also sent to Scott Sibella, president of Resorts World, encouraging the company to exercise good faith in its labor dealings and recognize local unions.
“Across Nevada, unions have improved our families’ quality of life by increasing wages, benefits and improving working conditions,” the letter stated. “For several months, Resorts World workers have made attempts to bargain in good faith with the company. It is imperative that Resorts World do the right thing and recognize the value of the facilities and gaming tech workers.”
Just days before the IUOE’s rally was held, Resorts World announced that it had reached a deal with Culinary Union Local 226 to represent approximately 2,000 employees at the property, including cooks, servers, bartenders, bellmen and laundry attendants.
The company then cited the deal in an emailed response to lawmakers’ recent letter–-according to the statement, the new Culinary contract “speaks to our respect for the union process and the decision of our team members.”
With regards to the ongoing IUOE strife, however, Resorts World stood by its initial position.
“Team members voted in one IUOE election and chose not to select the IUOE as their representative,” said the company. “A second vote was taken for a larger group of team members, but IUOE instead requested that the NLRB block the ballot count. We do not believe it is appropriate to take any further action until the votes of our team members are allowed to be counted and their voices can be heard.”
