NLRB to appeal decision barring investigation at Chickasaw casino

Wednesday, July 20, 2011  

The National Labor Relations Board will ask the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a decision that bars an investigation into unfair labor practices at a Chickasaw Nation casino.

Judge Lee R. West blocked the NLRB from investigating a complaint against the WinStar World Casino. He said it would interfere with the tribe's sovereignty.

But the NLRB will fight the ruling. “It's certainly an unsettled area of the law,” Naomi Stuart, a deputy regional director, told The Oklahoman.

The tribe enacted its own "right-to-work" ordinance. The law bars employees from being forced to join a union.

The 10th Circuit has previously ruled that the NLRB could not interfere with Ohkay Owingeh in New Mexico although that case involved a non-gaming entity.

Get the Story:
Chickasaw Nation wins case against labor board over jurisdiction in union-organizing complaints (The Oklahoman 7/20)

District Court Decision:
Chickasaw Nation v. NLRB (July 11, 2011)

Related Stories:
Judge blocks NLRB investigation into Chickasaw Nation casino (7/11)