On September 25, the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) unanimously approved the licensing of Red Rock Resort’s latest project, Durango Casino and Resort. The property may now hold its grand opening November 20.
However, unlike most of these standard proceedings, Durango’s licensing session saw a lot of discussion regarding labor disputes—the casino’s parent company, Red Rock Resorts, has had an extremely public and contentious relationship with Culinary Workers Local 226, which is one of if not the biggest labor union in the state.
Red Rock has avoided unionizing its properties for decades now, much to the chagrin of Culinary, which is present in every Las Vegas Strip resort and most of the adjacent ones as well. The two sides are currently embroiled in litigation before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and regulators have maintained that a federal ruling must be handed down before any other action can be taken.
According to the Nevada Independent, Commissioner Rosa Solis-Rainey noted during the hearing that the ongoing disputes “are just a little bit concerning to me and hopefully you can work them out.”
Jennifer Togliatti, chairwoman of the NGC, called the ongoing NLRB litigation “very complicated” and “very prolonged,” reiterating the commission’s stance that it will be a while before the matter is resolved, per the Independent.
Representatives from both Culinary and Red Rock gave testimony against and in favor of the company, but ultimately, the resort was approved as expected.
Now that it is fully set for opening, Durango will become the first new-construction locals casino to open in the Las Vegas market in 14 years. The property boasts 209 rooms, 83,000 square feet of gaming space, 15 dining options and 20,000 square feet of convention space.
According to Red Rock representatives, the property will eventually hire 1,700 workers, and is just over halfway to that figure so far.
