Second union election set for Mesquite casinos

Tuesday, April 29, 2003 | 10:48 a.m.

MESQUITE -- The Industrial Technical and Professional Employees union, which lost an election in December 2001 to represent workers at Randy Black Sr.'s three Mesquite casinos -- Oasis, Casablanca and Virgin River -- will try again with a second National Labor Relations Board-held election on June 13 and 14.

The union's efforts in December 2001 to represent 1,276 housekeeping, food and beverage workers in an NLRB-held election were rejected by a vote of 640 to 464.

But the union challenged the election results in an unfair labor practice complaint filed with the NLRB on Jan. 30, 2002, citing Black's alleged threats to close the Oasis and notify the Immigration & Naturalization Service of alleged undocumented workers at the casinos if the union won.

Mike Chavez, the NLRB's resident officer, said the matter was resolved in a settlement signed in July by representatives of the casinos and the union.

Under the settlement, the casinos agreed to not question their workers about their union sympathies or threaten them with discharge, loss of benefits and other reprisal because of their union support.

The casinos agreed not to threaten to contact the INS to check on their workers' identities because of their union support or threaten to close any operations if they chose union representation. The casinos also agreed to not create an impression they were surveilling their workers' union activities by asking them how they plan to vote in upcoming elections.

The union filed a petition for a second election on April 7.