Indianz.Com >
Indian Gaming
Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act still in limbo in heated election year
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
One of Indian Country's legislative priorities remains in limbo in a busy and heated election year.
Tribes have been seeking to exempt their gaming facilities from the National
Labor Relations Act for more than a decade. When the House passed
H.R.511,
the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act, by wide margins last
November, the vote marked the closest they have come to their goal.
But the Senate has yet to take up the measure and time is running out for Indian Country. Lawmakers aren't due to return to work until after the presidential election next month and tribes will only have a few weeks to push for the bill.
Absent Congressional action, the National Labor Relations Board continues to assert jurisdiction over tribal casinos. The latest decision affects the Viejas Band of
Kumeyaay Indians in California, McClatchy DC reports.
An administrative law judge on October 11 ruled the Viejas Casino and Resort violated the rights of union members by only awarding them half of the amount of a bonus given to non-members. The case is 21-CA-166290.
Read More on the Story:
Indian tribes may be sovereign, but their casinos remain subject to federal scrutiny
(McClatchy DC 10/18)
$P National Labor Relations Board Decision:
Viejas
Band of Kumeyaay Indians d/b/a Viejas Casino & Resort v. United Food and
Commercial Workers International Union, Local 135, AFL–CIO (October 11,
2016)
From the Indianz.Com Archive:
Tribal
labor law rider killed by wide margin in House (June 27, 2005)
NCAI between 'rock and a hard place' on labor
rider (September 13, 2004)
Tribal labor
amendment fails in House vote (September 13, 2004)
Federal labor board expands jurisdiction over
tribes (June 4, 2004)
Related Stories:
Viejas
Band loses decision over dispute with labor union at casino (10/12)
More
California tribes welcome labor unions at gaming facilities (9/26)
Tribal
Labor Sovereignty Act in limbo as Congress returns to work (9/8)
Supreme
Court takes a pass on tribal labor sovereignty dispute (07/01)
Supreme
Court deals setback to tribes in labor sovereignty dispute (06/27)
Ben
Nighthorse Campbell: Pass the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act (06/13)
Indian
Country presses Supreme Court to hear labor law dispute (05/31)
Indian
Country pushes for action on Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act (04/07)
Tribes
still shoring up support for Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act (02/23)
Robert
Odawi Porter: Labor unions try to confiscate tribal wealth (12/07)
Union
slams Democrat for vote on Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act (12/02)
Sault
Tribe pushes for passage of Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act (11/24)
John
Yellowbird Steele: Restore tribal sovereignty over labor (11/23)
Saginaw
Chippewa Tribe weighs high court appeal in NLRB case (11/20)
Lawmakers defy
White House on Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act (11/18)
White House
slams Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act ahead of vote (11/17)
Tribal Labor
Sovereignty Act heads toward passage in House (11/16)
House
gears up for consideration of Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act (10/27)
Key
Democrat defends support for Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act (10/20)
NCAI
pushes for court rehearing in tribal labor sovereignty case (09/01)
Lawmakers
advance Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act in House (07/23)
Dennis
Whittlesey: Judges disagree on labor law at casinos (07/23)
Lawmakers
show support for Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act (07/22)
House
committee markup for Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act (07/20)
Law
Article: Major impact with federal labor law at tribal casinos (07/08)
Law
Article: Saginaw Chippewa Tribe loses decision in NLRB dispute (07/06)
Brian
Pierson: Tribal labor sovereignty could land in Supreme Court (07/03)
Pierre
Bergeron: Judges split on federal labor law at tribal casinos (07/03)
Court
reluctantly backs NLRB in Saginaw Chippewa Tribe dispute (07/01)