Palace Station workers reject bid to unionize by slim margin

By Thomas Moore

Monday, Oct. 17, 2016 | 7 p.m.

A majority of workers at Palace Station voted not to unionize over the weekend in the latest battle between Station Casinos and the Culinary Workers Union Local 226.

The vote was held Saturday and Sunday. According to the local office of the National Labor Relations Board, 586 people were eligible to vote. Of those, a total of 531 people participated, with 262 people voting to unionize, and 266 voting not to unionize.

Three votes are being challenged, not enough to change the results.

On Monday afternoon, Station Casinos released a statement praising the vote.

“We are extremely pleased that our team members at Palace Station voted to reject union representation despite an aggressive organizing campaign by the Culinary Union,” said Richard J. Haskins, Station president.

Eric Myers, legal counsel for the Culinary Union, also released a statement on Monday, blaming the loss on what it deems unfair tactics.

“Palace Station has committed conduct that seriously interfered with workers’ right to a free and fair choice on unionization,” Myers said in the statement.

“Most egregiously, management announced just after the union filed for the election that it would be giving workers a raise, and did so a few days before the election was held.”

Barbara Baynes, resident officer at the Las Vegas office of the NLRB, which ran the election, said anyone can file an objection to the election for up to seven days after the ballots are counted.

In September, workers at Boulder Station, another Station Casinos property, voted for union representation in a secret-ballot election also monitored by the NLRB.

Boulder is the lone Station property to unionize in the Las Vegas area out of nine major casinos.