"For those of you not in the know, Chief Dennis Kequom sent out a letter to all of Soaring Eagle’s employees. In it, he decried our efforts to form a union and tried to intimidate us by saying that he and the Tribe would never recognize our organization or ever negotiate in good faith with us to reach a contract. Worst of all, he expressed these and other anti-union sentiments, much of which I do not want to repeat, while openly admitting to being a union retiree of 28 years.

In his 28 years as a union employee, who was there to negotiate the competitive wages and benefits he enjoyed? Who was there to fight on his behalf whenever he had a grievance with management? Who negotiated the pension that he currently enjoys as a retiree? I’ll tell you who, his union! The fact that he has taken that all for granted is regrettable and unfortunate.

Does he not realize the sort of risk he is taking with the casino? As an employee, I work daily with the union members and retirees that make up the large bulk of our guests. Argument could be made that the Soaring Eagle was built with the hard earned and negotiated wages and pensions of union employees. If his letter were to be read by them, who knows what kind of backlash his remarks would create?"

Get the Story:
Larry Moldenhauer: Tribe, union could forge a beneficial, relationship (The Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun 3/28)