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According to a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) panel, labor law violations at one Station Casinos property in Nevada were deliberate. How that will affect the operation of Red Rock Casino Resort Spa in Las Vegas is still up in the air, however.
The panel’s decision affirms an earlier decision that Station challenged but does not represent the total of NLRB actions against Station. In fact, Station is on the verge of making history in a negative way.
NLRB panel upholds 2022 ruling
If you have trouble keeping the labor-related complaints against Station straight, it’s hard to blame you. Currently, the NLRB’s database shows 90 active cases involving Station Casinos.
The June 17, 2024 decision by the three-member panel from the NLRB is in regard to a matter that stems back to late 2019 and early 2020. The allegations from the complainant were that Station deliberately and illegally interfered in a union election at Red Rock.
The April 2022 decision from US Administrative Law Judge Jeffrey D. Wedekind found that Station perpetrated 50 distinct violations of the federal National Labor Relations Act. Examples of the conduct included promising workers more compensation and new benefits if they voted against unionization.
The panel agreed with Wedekind in its review, stating that Station’s “extensive coercive and unlawful misconduct … stemmed from a carefully crafted corporate strategy.” As remedies, Wedekind ordered Station to recognize and bargain with two unions representing workers at Red Rock.
Exactly when such negotiations will begin remains uncertain as Station still has appeal options remaining. Relations between Station and organized labor at many of its properties have been strained for years.
Sordid history of labor dealings for Station
This matter is far from the only labor issue that Station executives are facing. On July 30, hearings will begin regarding another NLRB charge.
The NLRB alleged in 2021 that Station deliberately violated Nevada’s Right to Return Act by illegally discriminating against former employees. The hearing also concerns allegations by the NLRB regarding Station improperly withdrawing recognition for unions at Boulder Station and Palace Station casinos.
Allegations from the NLRB of Station interfering in union elections, discriminating against union employees, delaying bargaining sessions, and other unlawful actions stem back as far as 2010. Those actions have understandably led to significant actions by unions like calls for artists to boycott Station properties.
The latest actions against Station by the NLRB appear to have achieved a modicum of success in the courts. How soon that will translate to Station changing course in its conduct, and to what degree, is still tentative.
