AWF Press Release: Judge Confirms Labor Union Vote in Blow to CT Worker Freedom
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Kartch
20 MARCH 2008
202-785-0266
Judge Confirms Labor Union Vote in Blow to Connecticut Worker Freedom
UAW-led Foxwoods Casino unionization bad for workers
Washington, D.C. — Today, the Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF), a Washington, DC based group that advocates for the protection of workers rights, condemned the recent judicial ruling to uphold a labor union vote by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. This decision forced 1,711 Foxwoods casino dealers to become part of a union and pay union dues against their will.
The union vote was the first ever to transgress into tribal territories, questionably trumping tribal sovereignty. This ruling indicates an application of U.S. law onto tribal sovereignty, and according to AWF policy director Brian Johnson, “sets the tone for the diminution of tribal sovereignty and sets an injurious precedent for future administrative law rulings on the issue of unionization tactics.”
In a recent election, fueled by six months of excessive spending and questionable tactics, the UAW spearheaded the effort to unionize dealers at the Foxwoods Casino, owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe. In the end, out of an estimated 3,000 dealers, only 1,289 voted to join the union, leaving the remaining 1,711 dealers without a choice. Judge Raymond P. Green has upheld this vote to unionize as legitimate—despite the UAW’s legally questionable tactics—and dismantled democratic rule in the unionization process.
This is not the first time unions have forced employees to pay dues against their will. “Private sector unionization is at all time record lows, and now, the unions are desperate for members and their dues,” says Johnson. “By forcibly unionizing Foxwoods’ dealers, they are not looking to increase the employee’s wages or benefits; the UAW is merely widening its net in an attempt to collect more forced dues and control yet another labor market.”
With the tribal gambling industry accounting for 670,000 jobs nationally and revenues of an estimated $25.7 billion, Johnson is worried that the ever-shrinking unions will see this judicial decision as an exemplar of the “jackpot” they have been looking for.
