Culinary Union wins NLRB union election victory against Station Casinos (Fiesta Henderson)

ONLINE / TWEET

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, September 23, 2020 

MEDIA CONTACT:

Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088 

Culinary Union wins NLRB union election victory against Station Casinos

Las Vegas, NV – Last week, a National Labor Relations Board hearing officer recommended the NLRB reject the company's objections to the September 13, 2019, union election at Station Casinos' Fiesta Henderson and certify the Culinary Union as the collective bargaining representative of Fiesta Henderson workers.

“Station Casinos continues to disrespect their workers by wasting time with litigation and union busting efforts,” said Geoconda Argüello-Kline, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union. “We call on Station Casinos to immediately to negotiate and settle a fair contract for the workers at Red Rock Resort, Fiesta Henderson, Fiesta Rancho, Sunset Station, Palms, Green Valley Ranch, Palace Station, and Boulder Station.”

“I recommend that the Employer’s objections be overruled in their entirety.  The Employer has failed to meet the Board’s standard and therefore has not provided evidence that raises a reasonable doubt as to the fairness and validity of the election. Therefore, I recommend that an appropriate Certification of Representative issue,” said NLRB Hearing Officer Alvaro Medina in his report issued September 17, 2020

Workers at Fiesta Henderson Hotel & Casino, which is owned and operated by Station Casinos, voted to unionize on Friday, September 13, 2019, through a secret-ballot election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). During the one-day NLRB election, 295 workers voted and 57% voted “YES” for the union. Over 300 Fiesta Henderson workers are represented by the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE.

“I voted YES to unionize because I want to have better health insurance, job security, and a pension,” said Matthew Seevers, a bartender at Fiesta Henderson after the 2019 NLRB election. “I have a family and I want to make sure that they are taken care of. I feel proud because with the union, we will finally have a voice, and finally have someone in our corner to fight for what is right.”

Workers at eight Station Casinos’ Las Vegas properties are fighting for a union contract: Boulder Station (September 2016), Palace Station (March 2017), Green Valley Ranch (November 2017), Palms (April 2018), Sunset Station (June 2019), Fiesta Rancho (June 2019), Fiesta Henderson (September 2019), Red Rock Resort (December 2019). 

Station Casinos has said many times that they would respect their employees’ right to hold an NLRB election:

In 2010, workers at Station Casinos started a public organizing drive. A majority of workers in the classifications that Culinary and Bartenders’ traditionally represents (which includes most of the hotel and food and beverage workers in a casino hotel) signed a public petition to demand a fair process to exercise their right to choose whether to unionize. Changes to NLRB rules in 2014 created new opportunities for workers to choose whether to unionize through NLRB-supervised secret-ballot elections despite Station Casinos’ management interference, intimidation, bullying, and litigation.

Red Rock Resorts (NASDAQ: RRR) became the parent company of Station Casinos through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in 2016. The company is controlled by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, billionaire supporters of President Donald Trump. Workers at the following Station Casinos properties have participated in an NLRB union election: Boulder Station, Palace Station, Green Valley Ranch, Palms, Sunset Station, Fiesta Rancho, Fiesta Henderson, and Red Rock Resort. Station Casinos’ other casino-hotels in Las Vegas include: Santa Fe Station and Texas Station.

ABOUT CULINARY UNION:

Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent 60,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of the casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas. UNITE HERE represents 300,000 workers in gaming, hotel, and food service industries in North America. 

The Culinary Union, through the Culinary Health Fund, is one of the largest healthcare consumers in the state. The Culinary Health Fund is sponsored by the Culinary Union and Las Vegas-area employers. It provides health insurance coverage for over 145,000 Nevadans, the Culinary Union’s members and their dependents.  

The Culinary Union is Nevada’s largest Black/AAPI/immigrant organization with members who come from 178 countries and speak over 40 different languages. We are proud to have helped over 18,000 immigrants become American citizens and new voters since 2001 through our affiliate, The Citizenship Project. 

The Culinary Union has a diverse membership -- approximately 55% women, 54% Latinx, 19% White, 15% Asian, 10% Black, and less than 1% Indigenous Peoples — and consists of guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, laundry and kitchen workers. The Culinary Union has been fighting for fair wages, job security, and good health benefits for workers in Nevada for 85 years.  

CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226  

###

More News

Get Connected