Casino Workers Strike
SHELBYVILLE, IN—More than 200 casino workers at Horseshoe Indianapolis walked off the job at noon on Friday, October 17th, launching a strike to demand immediate union recognition from management.
The striking employees—table game dealers and dual-rate workers—are fighting to join Teamsters Local 135. Their action follows the indefinite postponement of their union election, which had been scheduled for today.
The planned vote to unionize was suspended after the federal government shutdown forced the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to halt operations. With the NLRB unable to oversee or certify the election, the workers lost their formal pathway to union representation.
Teamsters Local 135 proposed an immediate solution to casino management: proceeding with the vote today, as planned, but using a neutral third party to conduct it. Management at the Caesars Entertainment-owned casino, however, refused the offer, leaving the workers with no other choice but to strike.
“AES customers have had enough… Private equity firms should have no stake in utilities that are needs, not wants,” said State Rep. Gregory W. Porter in an earlier statement regarding the deal.
Workers and Teamsters leadership are currently picketing outside Horseshoe Indianapolis, carrying signs and banners as they rally for their right to bargain collectively. The strike is an unusual move for workers who have not yet secured formal union status, but the union insists it is a legally protected action to pressure the casino into granting recognition.
The workers are demanding that Horseshoe management respect their decision to organize and formally recognize Teamsters Local 135 as their bargaining representative.
