Union election ordered at casino; US labor board rules vs. Foxwoods

[Eugene]

Source: Boston Globe

Union election ordered at casino
US labor board rules vs. Foxwoods

By Associated Press | October 25, 2007

HARTFORD - The National Labor Relations Board yesterday
ordered a union election at Foxwoods Resort Casino, which
has been targeted by the United Auto Workers in a drive
to organize 3,000 dealers.

The decision could set the stage for one of the first
unions at a tribal casino. Foxwoods, one of the largest
casinos in the world, has 340,000 square feet of gambling
space in a 4.7 million-square-foot complex.

Peter Hoffman, regional director of the board's office
in Hartford, rejected the argument by Foxwoods owners,
the Mashantucket Pequot tribe, that the tribe's
employment law has jurisdiction in the matter.

"In reaching this conclusion, I have fully considered but
find no merit to the employer's claim that its 'inherent
authority' to regulate employment and labor relations on
its tribal lands precludes" the board's jurisdiction in
this matter, Hoffman said.

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Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2007/10/25/union_election_ordered_at_casino