LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Workers from Station Casinos got vocal Sunday protesting in front of the Culinary Union headquarters and demanded it respects their workers' decision to not have union representation.
But the union says there’s more to the protest than meets the eye.
“We despise union lies," team members from Station Casinos said while protesting in front of the Culinary Union.
Dozens of people held signs that told the union to butt out.
“We’re just here to send a message to the Culinary Union to leave us alone. Team members are furious, and they just don’t want a union,” said Hernan Andrade, director of internal maintenance for Red Rock Resort.
This comes as Station Casinos says workers from Palace Station and Boulder Station decided to vote no on having union representation last year. People there say the company has given workers good benefits and are furious the union filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board against the company calling the vote unlawful.
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“We’re just supporting our team members. We decided to come out here and support them,” Andrade said.
A spokesperson from Station Casinos said:
“As has already been reported, in the last year, a majority of Team Members at both Palace Station and Boulder Station flat-out rejected the Culinary Union. The Culinary Union has refused to accept that outcome and has filed charges with the NLRB to reverse the decisions of the Palace and Boulder Team Members. The Company is fighting back on behalf of its Team Members by challenging those charges. In addition, Company supervisors and managers—accompanied by hourly Team Members who have voluntarily joined the protest on their own time—showing their support for Team Members by protesting the Culinary Union’s attempt to hijack and overturn the decisions. The Company demands that the Culinary Union respect and stop trying to overturn the wishes of the Palace and Boulder Team Members.”
In a statement, the Culinary Union said the protest Sunday “consisted of managers and supervisors on their day off” and called it “phony:"
"Here, it seems that Station Casinos is simply trying to bring public attention to the wide-ranging allegations of legal misconduct it faces. In our nearly nine decades of organizing, the Culinary Union has never seen company managers or supervisors picket - especially on their day off when it is 99 degrees outside. We hope that they stay hydrated and cool today.”
Station Casinos and the union have had various legal battles in the last decade over union representation for their workers. The casino company saying the union has accused them of unfair labor practices.
Last month, a U.S. district judge ordered Station Casinos to start negotiations with the union for workers at Red Rock Resort. The judge said, she agreed with arguments that the company’s interfered with the union election at the resort more than a year ago with the timing of announcing a new benefits package for employees.
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The team members picketing in front of the union headquarters say the company has treated them well and may protest again if they don’t respect the wishes of workers at Palace and Boulder Stations.
“If we need to do this some other time, and we need to do what we’ve got to do, then we’ll do that,” Andrade said.
The legal battle between Station Casinos and the union will continue on Aug. 31, when a judge with the National Labor Relations Board is set to hear arguments from both sides.
