Saginaw Chippewa Union Vote

From Indianz:

Saginaw Chippewa casino workers reject union

Housekeeping staff at the casino owned by the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan voted down a union by a 2-1 margin on Thursday. Nearly all the full- and part-time housekeeping staff at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort participated in the election. They voted against joining the Teamsters union by 192 to 88. The National Labor Relations Board oversaw the election, the second of its kind at a tribal casino. Dealers at the Foxwoods Resort Casino, owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut, voted overwhelmingly last month to join the United Auto Workers.

Get the Story:
Teamsters turned down by casino workers (The Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun 12/21)

Saginaw Chippewa Union Vote

From Indianz:

 Union vote set for Saginaw Chippewa casino

The National Labor Relations Board will oversee a union election at the casino owned by the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan. The election takes place December 20. Teamsters Local 486 wants to organize about 300 housekeeping employees. This the second NLRB-overseen election at a tribal casino since the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the board’s ability to assert jurisdiction at tribal enterprises. Dealers at the casino owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut agreed to a union this past weekend.

Get the Story:
Union election date set for casino workers (The Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun 11/29)

Preliminary Results of Union Vote at Foxwoods

From The New London Day:

FOXWOODS DEALERS OK UNION

Casino Vows To Challenge 1,289-852 Vote

Mashantucket — Dealers voted in the United Auto Workers union at Foxwoods Resort Casino Saturday by a vote of 1,289 to 852, but the fight — tense for some, enthralling for others — isn’t over yet.

In a historic election expected to bring in organized labor for the first time at one of the world’s largest Indian-owned casinos, dealers cast a total of 2,177 ballots, but 36 were challenged by the union or the company and thrown out. The overall vote was 60 percent in favor of the UAW. The count overseen by the National Labor Relations Board was completed at about 2 a.m. this morning. A total of 2,640 dealers were initially eligible, said Foxwoods Spokesman Saverio Mancini, but 25 were disqualified before voting and another five ballots were filled out wrong and voided, and some just didn’t show up, he said. Despite the win by the UAW, Foxwoods President John O’Brien said this morning that the company and its owners, the Mashantucket Pequot tribe, would examine all their options, including a legal fight, before letting the UAW in the door.

“We are disappointed with the preliminary tally, however, these results will not be official until all legal issues, including jurisdiction, are resolved,” O’Brien in a statement. “We continue to believe as we have from the very beginning that the labor board lacked jurisdiction and that any election should have been governed by tribal laws. “We have made our position clear to the NLRB and will continue to do so in the future.”