Station Casinos is challenging the Culinary Union’s recent victory in organizing employees at the company’s Green Valley Ranch resort in suburban Las Vegas and has filed objections with the National Labor Relations Board, claiming the union tried to coerce workers.
Culinary Local 226 of UNITE Here and Local 165 of the Bartenders Union won the two-day election held earlier this month by a landslide 78 percent, making Green Valley the third Station property in town to unionize. The Culinary also represents workers at Palace Station and Boulder Station.
Station claims union agents told GVR employees they had to “sign up” to vote and that they must vote “Yes.” The company also says union agents escorted workers into the voting room, which prevented them from not voting had they wanted to decline, and prevented votes from being “in-secret, voluntary and anonymous”.
“The Culinary Union’s behavior in connection with the election was improper and unacceptable, rendering it impossible to conduct a free and fair secret-ballot election as required by law, to the detriment of our team members,” said Station President Richard Haskins.
The company sent its objections to NLRB officials in Las Vegas, the board’s regional headquarters in Phoenix and to a San Francisco law firm that represents the union.
The Culinary responded with a statement from Secretary-Treasurer Geoconda Argüello-Kline, saying, “The vote was a clear mandate. We urge Station Casinos to recognize their employees’ voices and votes, and negotiate in good faith.”
Last year, Station contested the union vote at Palace Station, but later agreed to accept the result after the Culinary filed a complaint with the NLRB alleging numerous company violations.
