Mashantucket Tribe to negotiate with union

Monday, November 3, 2008  

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the United Auto Workers agreed to negotiate a labor contract under tribal law.

The tribe opposed the union's efforts to organize among 3,000 card dealers at the Foxwoods Resort Casino. But the two sides agreed to talk rather than continue the fight in federal court.

”The concepts of tribal sovereignty and self-government are very important to all Native American tribes,” said Jackson King, the tribe's general counsel, The New London Day reported. “We are very pleased to have come to an understanding that both acknowledges employees' rights to join unions and respects the rights of Native American governments.”

The move won praise from state attorney general Richard Blumenthal. He said the agreement could turn out to be “a model of labor peace for the country.”

The National Labor Relations Board had certified the union and said federal labor law applied to the casino as an employer.

Get the Story:
Casino, union will negotiate under tribal law (The Norwich Bulletin 11/1)
Foxwoods Union Agrees To Negotiate Under Tribal Law (The Hartford Courant 11/1)
Foxwoods, UAW agree to contract talks (The New London Day 11/1)