Column: Union inevitable at Mashantucket casino

Monday, July 16, 2007  

"In response to John O'Brien's open memorandum to all Foxwoods Resort Casino employees discouraging enrolling in a union, I would like to retort with a few of my own views on the subject.

Having been a consultant for some of the country's leading companies for over 30 years in the field of recruiting/compensation, wage and salary, I daresay I may know a bit about ideal ways for large corporations to handle personnel effectively. I also know how large corporations go wrong in the same area. That being said, I must say that Foxwoods is headed down the latter path.

Speaking of a regular work week, the labor laws of the state and federal governments stipulate that any employee should be compensated “time-and-a-half” for every hour worked past 40 hours per week. In departments like security, officers are expected to attend daily mandatory roll call meetings beginning 15 minutes prior to the start of their eight-hour shifts. These mandatory roll calls add an additional 1.25 hours of labor per week, however, instead of being paid at the standard overtime rate for this extra time, security officers are paid straight time.

When all is said and done, Foxwoods has saves $2.55 million to $3 million over the past 15 years as a result of this blatant disregard for federal labor laws. Due to a two-year statute of limitations on restitution for damages such as these, officers that have been at Foxwoods for the duration will never fully be compensated, even if the policy is modified in the future.

Despite the fact that Foxwoods lies in the heart of an American Indian reservation, the casino is still expected to adhere to federal labor laws. Clearly, executives believe that oversights like the aforesaid one are acceptable nonetheless, perhaps simply because nobody has ever challenged them."

Get the Story:
Right Now, Union Seems Best Bet At Foxwoods (The New London Day 7/15)
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