The powerful Culinary Union will not be strengthened further with memberships from the Palace Station. Casino workers at the property vote to stay out of the union.

Personal negotiation better

State Casinos, which is a subsidiary of Red Rock Resorts, said earlier this week that employees of its off-Strip casino resort decided not to work with the Culinary Union further. The employees voted to negotiate their own contracts. COO of Station Casinos, Bob Finch, said in a statement,

“Our Team Members at Palace Station have spoken. Station Casinos respect their decision and certainly appreciate the confidence that our Team Members have placed in us.”

The workers voted 266-262 back in March 2017 against unionizing and refused to join the Culinary. The Union suggests that the management at Station Casinos interfered with the elections and influenced votes. The federal investigators at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) hinted that they would file a complaint against the casino operator. After this, the company settled and allowed Palace Station to unionize. However, it hasn’t entered a union contract with Culinary to date.

Deunionization at Station casinos

Palace is not the only Station property where employees are voting against unionization. Its sister property, Boulder Station, also witnessed its employees voting against unionization last month. The Union is now suggesting that the Station Casinos are acting in bad faith. Secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Union, Geoconda Argüello-Kline, said that the casino is not doing the right thing.

Argüello-Kline noted,

“Station Casinos has withdrawn union recognition at Boulder and Palace Station. The Culinary Union believes it has done so unlawfully. Station Casinos continues to disrespect their workers by wasting time with litigation and union-busting efforts.”

She said that the union has filed an unfair labor practice charge related to the withdrawal and is demanding an immediate negotiation. On the other hand, Station says that it is no longer obliged to work with the union and will negotiate the contracts directly with the workers.