UAW Casino Trip Bankrupts Worker Freedom
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Brian M Johnson
26 NOVEMBER 2007
202-785-0266
UAW Casino Trip Bankrupts Worker Freedom
Labor Group Opposes UAW-Led Foxwoods Casino Unionization
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 push by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union which forced 1,711 Foxwoods casino dealers to become part of a union and pay union dues against their will.
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 – the union was on its way.
According to AWF’s policy director Brian Johnson, 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. 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.”
The union vote at Foxwoods Casino is rumored to be the first National Labor Relations Board-supervised union election at a tribal casino. 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 as the “jackpot” they have been looking for.
“In no other sector of society are threats, intimidation, compulsory dues paying, or financial corruption as prevalent as they are in the labor sector. Yet despite the over 780 union officials and members convicted of financial crimes since 2001, and the over $100 million in restored dues, the public continues to turn a blind eye when over 1500 employees are forced to become part of this corrupt institution.”
Johnson says the AWF will continue to monitor this issue and push to prevent the implementation of a collective bargaining contract.
