Fiesta Henderson Hotel and Casino workers voted Friday, September 13, to be represented by the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and the Bartenders Union Local 165.
Both unions are Nevada affiliates of the UNITE HERE labor union that represents roughly 300,000 active members around the United States and Canada.
A secret vote held at the property this past Friday saw 57%, or as many as 295, of its employees vote in favor of the proposed unionization. The positive vote, albeit by a slight margin, means that workers at the hotel and casino resort can now be represented by the two labor unions.
Fiesta Henderson was the seventh Station Casinos-owned gambling venue to unionize in the past three years, with Boulder Station, Palace Station, Green Valley Ranch, the Palms, Sunset Station, and Fiesta Rancho being the other six.
Commenting on the Friday vote, Matthew Seevers, a bartender at the hotel and casino complex located in the City of Henderson in Nevada, said that he voted ‘yes’ to unionize “because I want to have better health insurance, job security and a pension.”
Geoconda Argüello-Kline, who is presently the Secretary-Treasurer of the Culinary Union Local 226, said after Friday’s vote that they “call on Station Casinos to immediately negotiate and settle a fair contract” for the workers at the seven casinos that have voted to unionize over the past three years.
Currently, the Culinary Union Local 226 and the Bartenders Union Local 165 represent 60,000 hospitality workers at Las Vegas and Reno casinos.
Workers Get Political Support
The Friday vote came amid an ongoing war between the two labor unions and Station Casinos over the right of the workers at the seven casinos owned by the operator to unionize. Despite employees at the properties voting in favor of unionizing, the casino owner has refused to negotiate new contracts with labor unions.
In 2019 alone, there have been multiple pickets at some of the seven casinos where votes have taken place. Last month, workers at the Palms protested in front of the property in the latest of a series of attempts to pressure Station Casinos to finally commence negotiations with the labor unions and recognize employees’ vote to unionize.
Last month’s picket was even joined by the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), with Monica Thammarath, President of APALA, saying that it was “especially meaningful” for them to support the effort as the Culinary Union was a diverse union with 15% Asian American And Pacific Islander workers membership.
Station Casino workers at various properties have also seen support from several presidential candidates over the past several months, including Bernie Sanders, Julián Castro, and Pete Buttigieg.
Senator Sanders, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, said on Twitter last month that Palms “workers voted to unionize because they are fighting for better pay, better benefits, job security, and respect and dignity on the job.”
His tweet went on that it was time “for the Palms’ billionaire, Trump-supporting owners to stop ignoring the law and start negotiating with their workers.” Sen. Sanders referred to billionaires Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, who own majority stakes in the hotel and casino operator.
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