Now that Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo has selected Kirk Hendrick to be the next chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB), Hendrick’s previous grievances with Culinary 226, one of the biggest and most influential gaming-related unions in the state, are coming to light.
Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, Hendrick cut his teeth by rising through the ranks of the state’s gaming division, which falls under the Attorney General’s office. He also went on to serve as the Nevada Athletic Commission’s legal counsel.
Years later, he eventually became chief legal officer of Zuffa, Inc., which is a mixed martial arts promotional company formed by Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, founders of Station Casinos. At the time, it was the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Station Casinos and Culinary 226 have one the nastiest and longest-running labor disputes in the entire country, which has gone in and out of court proceedings for years. The union has unsuccessfully attempted to organize workers at Station properties numerous times, with the operator publicly rejecting the trade body at every opportunity.
Culinary officials have pleaded with Nevada regulators, including the NGCB, to intervene and force the operator to negotiate in good faith, however state officials have largely ignored those requests, ceding authority to federal labor boards instead.
Back in 2015, Culinary officials reached out to the UFC’s fighter roster in attempts to spark unionization efforts. This was widely seen as an attempt by Culinary to indirectly maneuver themselves into a position of leverage with Station, to which Hendrick responded with a fiery letter penned to all UFC staff.
“It hides the union’s only real interest, which is organizing workers at Station Casinos in Las Vegas. They hope that by applying pressure to the UFC that somehow it will increase their chances in Las Vegas,” Hendrick’s letter read in part. “Certainly, we will admit that their old tactics haven’t been working because they have been harassing Station Casinos, its employees and customers for over 15 years and they have yet to organize even one Station Casinos’ property.”
Neither the governor’s office nor Culinary responded to requests for comment about the letter from the Nevada Current.
When Lombardo first announced the appointment of Hendrick, he said in a release that his “sharp business acumen, outstanding legal background, and passion for Nevada gaming” would allow for him to “excel in this critical leadership role.”
In November’s gubernatorial election, the Culinary Union poured millions of dollars and thousands of man-hours into the re-election of Steve Sisolak, only to see him go down to a narrow defeat.
