UAW Plans "Major Demonstration" For Opening Night of MGM Grand at Foxwoods Casino

The United Auto Workers are planning a "major demonstration" as Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut prepares to cut the ribbon on a $700 million MGM Grand expansion. The new wing will be opened at midnight on May 17, and the union plans to make its presence known as they continue to seek representation of 2,600 dealers at the casino. The dealers have voted in favor of union representation, but the casino continues to contest the results. Melinda Tuhus has more on the background for this story:

After a majority of the 2,600 table game dealers at the casino voted in favor of the United Auto Workers last November, the tribal government appealed the vote to the regional office of the NLRB in Hartford, Conn. In mid March, an administrative law judge ruled that the union had not engaged in any objectionable conduct warranting setting aside the election, as charged by the tribal leadership, and he recommended that the election be certified on behalf of the union. Tribal officials plan to appeal the decision to the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C. Union organizing committee member and games dealer, Denise Gladu is looking forward to her first union contract at Foxwoods:

[Gladu]: "I know that the NLRB and us organizers and the UAW didn’t do anything wrong before the vote and I’m just very happy that the judge sided in our favor and that we’re going to be certified soon."