Ohio casino workers join UAW

CINCINNATI – About 1,100 workers at Ohio’s Horseshoe Casino in Cincinnati gained a union voice today through a majority recognition election.

The workers will be represented by the Casino Workers Council, which includes the UAW, the United Steelworkers, Teamsters and UNITE HERE. That group also represents 1,050 workers at the Horseshoe Casino in Cleveland who joined the union in August 2012.

The Cincinnati workers include 1,100 food and beverage dealers, slot technicians, maintenance, warehouse, valets and count and cage workers, who gained union recognition following an agreement with the company that it would remain neutral and allow workers to make their own decision.

“When companies allow their workers to make their own choice, and workers choose to join a union, it is a victory for everyone,” said UAW Vice President Joe Ashton, who oversees the union’s Gaming Department.

“This campaign mirrors the waves of excitement and enthusiasm of gaming workers throughout the country,” Ashton said. “More and more hard-working casino employees are seeking union representation as a way to have a say on their jobs.”

In Toledo, 800 workers at the Hollywood Casino joined the union in February 2012. A month later, 1,050 workers at the Hollywood Casino in Columbus became union members. Casino workers in Columbus and Toledo are members of a coalition that includes the UAW and the United Steelworkers.

In Las Vegas, 450 dealers seeking UAW representation at the Flamingo/Margaritaville casino will vote on Nov. 8.

“Casino workers in Ohio have shown great determination in their choice to have a voice in the workplace and this is just the beginning” said UAW Region 2B Director Ken Lortz, who directs the union’s activities in Ohio and Indiana. The next step is for workers and the company to negotiate a first contract. Already these workers have expressed that they are ready to get going.”

The UAW, one of the nation’s largest and most diverse labor unions, represents more than 8,800 gaming employees in Detroit, Atlantic City, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Florida and Indiana.