Maverick Gaming Staffers in Washington Vote to Unionize

Maverick Gaming Staffers in Washington Vote to Unionize

Employees of Maverick Gaming LLC voted recently to unionize. The overwhelmingly positive response to the vote will make them the first casino employees in Washington to create a union.

Maverick’s presence in the state

Maverick Entertainment owned 19 card rooms in Washington state, out of the total 44. The company has 2,200 employees, of which 1,900 voted to be a part of Teamsters 117. Most of the employees organizing as a union are restaurant workers or table game dealers. The gaming industry has historically been anti-union, but Maverick CEO Eric Persson believes otherwise. In a recent interview, he said that one of his first phone calls when expanding in Washington was Teamsters.

Maverick Gaming Staffers in Washington Vote to Unionize

He said that unionizing gives employees a strong voice in legislative processes and noted that he aimed to partner with Teamsters when the company first entered the state. Washington has its fair share of big-box companies like Microsoft and Amazon, most of which are related to technology or the internet.

It is also one of the most highly unionized states in the US. More than 650,000 residents of the state are members of organized labor unions. This is the third-largest figure in the country. The state has about 7.5 million residents, of which 3 million are either union members, their family members, or retirees of the union. The state’s percentage of workers engaged in unionizing is 18.8%, while the national average is only 10.3%.

The sports betting saga in the state

The Evergreen State is looking at sports betting legislations that are more favorable to tribal properties. Persson noted that there is a large gap between unionized employees working in its card rooms and those who are working in other state casinos. Persson has also criticized the state’s sports betting proposal and said that its undue advantage for the tribes would create a tax-free monopoly for them. Washington’s Teamsters have also actively supported wider sports betting legislation that does away with tribal exclusivity in the state.

Maverick has entered the state by acquisitions, and all 19 of its card rooms were acquired in the past year. It is also expected to add more to its list of properties in the next few months, which could bring more unionized members to its league. Persson also noted that he is expecting more union memberships with the addition of new venues. In fact, he pointed out that the vote for unionizing occurred in just two days, which is one of the quickest in the state’s history.

About sherlock

Sherlock Gomes loves to write and express his views on anything related to Gaming, Gambling, & Casino. He has been covering Gaming for more than two years now.