Michigan City, IN – Table games dealers and dual rate table games dealers at Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa voted to join Teamsters Local 135 in a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election held October 16 and 17. The final tally was 30 votes for the union and 18 against. Two challenged ballots were not enough to affect the outcome.

This marks the second time this year that Blue Chip workers have voted to become Teamsters. In late July, the casino's slot attendants and dual rate slot attendants won their own NLRB election by a landslide of 18 to 2, despite a union-busting campaign by management. They began bargaining for a first contract with Blue Chip in late summer, and the dealers now plan to join them at the table. Once they win a contract, Blue Chip will be the first Boyd Gaming property in the country with a Teamsters contract.

The dealers organized for many of the same reasons as the slot attendants. Their issues include wages, health insurance, paid time off, management harassment and racial discrimination.

“Every worker deserves a voice, respect, and the power to make their workplace better,” said Dustin Roach, president of Teamsters Local 135, after the election. “These workers stood together and demanded exactly that. We're proud to welcome them into Local 135, and we're ready to fight alongside them for the contract they deserve.”

Boyd Gaming goes all-in on union-busting, loses again

After its blowout loss in the slot attendants' election, Boyd Gaming came at the table games workers even harder. Management ran one-on-one meetings, small group meetings, and seemingly mandatory captive audience meetings. It also blanketed common areas in the back-of-house with anti-union propaganda posters.

Management also tried a sympathy play. The general manager made an emotional appeal to the dealers, saying he took their organizing personally and begging them to give management another chance. This is a common union-busting tactic meant to make workers feel bad for demanding a decent contract for their labor.

The company also tried to scare workers with misinformation about union dues, strikes, and the supposed riskiness of the collective bargaining process. The dues scare was especially dishonest. In the Teamsters, workers do not pay any dues until they have voted by majority to ratify a first contract.

To run the campaign, Blue Chip brought in outside anti-union consultants. Filings with the U.S. Department of Labor name Rampart Labor Solutions, CRS Labor Relations Solutions, and RoadWarrior Productions. RoadWarrior, run by Florida consultant Russ Brown, is one of the most active union-busting firms in the country. Amazon has paid RoadWarrior $3800 a day per consultant to fight organizing drives from North Carolina to Nevada. Worker advocacy group LaborLab found that RoadWarrior held back federally required disclosures of its pay at one Amazon warehouse until after the election. The firm has also been linked to the right-wing Heritage Foundation.

All of that money couldn't beat the dealers and dual rates' organizing committee. The committee members met with coworkers regularly to keep them updated and to answer questions. Every time the consultants spread a lie, the committee was there with the truth.

With two Teamster units now at Blue Chip, workers across the casino floor are building strength together. The slot attendants are already at the table, and the dealers will soon elect their own bargaining committee and begin drafting contract proposals.

Their message to Boyd Gaming is clear: Blue Chip workers have made their choice twice, and it's time for the company to respect it and bargain a fair contract.

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