Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino Employees Advocate for Union Representation

At the heart of Niagara Falls, New York, the employees at the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino are renewing their efforts to unionize, an endeavor that echoes a similar attempt from nearly two decades ago. The move is being spearheaded in collaboration with Teamsters Local 449, reflecting a well-orchestrated bid to ensure fair treatment and better working conditions for the workers. This year’s initiative is reminiscent of the first unionization attempt in 2004 and 2005, influenced by local unions such as the Hotel Employee and Restaurant Employees Union and Teamsters Local 375. However, the effort waned back then due to uncertainties about the applicability of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to employees of Native American casinos and resorts.

Legal precedents in the ensuing years have since clarified that such employees are indeed protected under the NLRA, rekindling the motivational spark for Seneca Niagara Resort employees. According to the latest reports from the Niagara Gazette, discussions began last December and continue to gain momentum. Vernon Lohan, a former employee and a leading advocate in this initiative, stressed the substandard conditions and unjust terminations that plague the workforce. Lohan believes that unionizing could lead to an environment where workers receive fair treatment, increased pay

Legal precedents in the ensuing years have since clarified that such employees are indeed protected under the NLRA, rekindling the motivational spark for Seneca Niagara Resort employees. According to the latest reports from the Niagara Gazette, discussions began last December and continue to gain momentum. Vernon Lohan, a former employee and a leading advocate in this initiative, stressed the substandard conditions and unjust terminations that plague the workforce. Lohan believes that unionizing could lead to an environment where workers receive fair treatment, increased pay, and enhanced job security. “If we fail, at least we tried. It doesn’t hurt to try,” he expressed, encapsulating the resilience and determination driving the movement.

The drive to form a union requires the support of at least 30 percent of the workforce, as per current labor laws. If this threshold is met, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will organize an election to decide on the union formation through a majority vote. This process empowers employees to collectively bargain for better terms, a movement mirrored by various industries across the nation. For instance, Fontainebleau Las Vegas, a newly established property on the Las Vegas Strip, recently made headlines by reaching a tentative agreement with the Culinary Union, aiming to deliver