Conn. casino bartenders, others vote to unionize

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

MASHANTUCKET, Conn. (AP) - Bartenders, beverage servers, and other workers at the Foxwoods Resort Casino voted Saturday in favor of having union representation.

The National Labor Relations Board, which ordered the election, said the result was 190-145.

Brian Petronella, president of Local 371 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union called it a victory for the 400 bartenders and other beverage workers who would be represented.

Petronella said that although he expected the casino, which is owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, to file objections to the election, "more than likely down the road we will be negotiating a contract with Foxwoods."

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20100801/D9HAHFE00.html

[xchrom]

1. ...

:applause:

[BolivarianHero]

2. The casinos are still the enemy to me...

Tribal or corporate, you fuck with online poker and you're fucking with me.

Congrats to the workers either way.

[Lucky Luciano]

3. I never did do online poker...

I was too paranoid about cheaters.
Individuals have cheated - that is for sure - clearly they are technological wizards.

Even a non techie can cheat badly if they have friends who sit at the table and share information over instant messenger or something.

I do love poker though.

[jmowreader]

15. You wouldn't even need to do that!

Buy two computers. Play at one, and set the other (with a different account logged in) to sit at the table.

I know people who do something similar with World of Warcraft--use two computers so they can fight two characters at the same time--and there's no money involved in that game. In poker there is.

[BolivarianHero]

16. Doesn't work.

At least not in PokerStars. They can't be on the same network.

[Beartracks]

19. Sounds like you need cable *and* DSL at your house!

lol

----------------------

[Proletariatprincess]

4. Bravo!

Like the great Labor Leader Joe lewis once said: Do something for yourself! ORGANIZE!

[Oceansaway]

5. wooooohoooooo !!...nt

[laughingliberal]

6. K & R nt

[KamaAina]

7. I didn't know the NLRB had authority on the rez

Good for the workers, but I thought tribal nations were subject to state but not federal law. This is why Foxwoods is there to begin with, as CT allows gaming for things like Las Vegas Night at the VFW hall.

[K8-EEE]

8. Congrats to them!! nt

[Jennicut]

9. Good news. The two casinos here in CT take in a LOT of money.

They can afford to pay the workers better.
Interesting fact: The CEO of Mohengan Sun lives a few houses down from my Grandmother on Lake Uncas in Old Lyme. My Grandma had the land given to her by her family and just kept inheriting small pieces until she could build a house up there. Now the fancy-schmancy people are moving in. Oh well, it is still a nice place.

[Quantess]

10. I'm confident someone will spin this into something negative about the Native Americans.

[Exultant Democracy]

11. I can't belive the vote was so close, all I hear is horror stories about the way they treat people

145 fools voted directly against their own self interest. Hard to wrap your head around how monumentally stupid we can be.

[Posteritatis]

21. I imagine the horror stories are caused by the people who voted against it

It doesn't surprise me at all. Every couple of years bar and restaurant owners in my town try to start up a campaign to be allowed not to pay their employees at all. It never gets anywhere, but they just keep trying.

[Recursion]

23. Back when I worked in Ocean City, MD

Whenever a union would have a conference in the city the restaurant owners would give a presentation to the wait staff about how evil unions were and how you shouldn't be seduced by them into trying to organize. Sigh.

Some people just really don't like paying dues, or at least that's how they rationalize it.

[SLCLiberal]

12. Some GOP key words come to mind:

"Union thugs, Acorn, end of America, thugs!, NAACP, Acorn, Acorn," and finally "Union Thugs."

Aren't you scared yet?

[Kingofalldems]

13. K and R for the union

[craigmatic]

14. The more unions in this country the better

[pleah]

17. K&R!!!!!!!!!!

[TBF]

18. K&R nt

[OnlinePoker]

20. Terrible customer service.

Nobody gave a damn when I was there last year. Took my business down the road to Mohegan(sp?) Sun, about 10 miles away and had a much nicer time.

[Recursion]

22. Woo-hoo!

[bobburgster]

24. Damn, I should have....

....taken the job at Foxwoods Resort Casino. :o

Good for them for going union.