"The dealers’ recent vote to unionize at Foxwoods Resort Casino is potentially momentous for Connecticut. Dealers number 3,000 out of more than 10,000 employees at the casino, which the Mashantucket Pequot tribe opened in 1992. The casino, along with the nearby Mohegan Sun, run by the Mohegan tribe, are among the largest in the world. Although the two tribes employ more than 20,000 workers, none are unionized.

The prospect of unionization would do more than alter the work environment of the two casinos. It could potentially change the politics of Connecticut. And because legal decisions this year have made clear, as previous decisions did not, that federal law protects Indian casino employees’ right to organize, Connecticut and other states may see more such union activity.

How quickly all this happens depends a lot on the pace of the appeals process. “This is only Round 1,” said a tribal spokesman. Yes, but the implications could reverberate well beyond Foxwoods."

Get the Story:
Editorial: The Dealers Show Their Cards (The New York Times 12/2)
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More Opinions:
Editorial: Competing Rights (The New London Day 12/2)
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Letter by Donald MacPhee: Tribe Should Work With Workers For Good Of All (The New London Day 12/1)