"It should come as no surprise the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe and Foxwoods Resort Casino intend on appealing last week's employees' vote to unionize. The stakes are high for both employees and employer, and the impact of the outcome wide-ranging.

The election results not only impact the dealers at Foxwoods, but now will involve the remainder of the Foxwoods work force as other unions prepare to organize those workers -- as well as the work force at tribal casinos across the country, including Foxwoods' neighbors, Mohegan Sun.

For the Mashantuckets and casino officials to forego a challenge to the union vote would be to acquiesce and surrender to those union efforts -- something the tribe is not likely to do.

What is unfortunate, however, is the process involved in reaching a final resolution to the issue lends itself to a confrontational environment that will serve neither side well in the future. In order for the tribe to force the issue into federal court, the casino will have no option but to refuse to negotiate with the union representing the roughly 2,600 dealers who chose to join the United Auto Workers union."

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Our view: Stakes too high for tribe to give up union fight (The Norwich Bulletin 11/29)