Assembly Democrats in California: Hang in There For the Casino Workers, There's National Labor Issues At Stake

A labor union mouthpiece like Prof. Brody loses credibility for his one-sided view of tribal casinos and their employee practices. Prof. Brody asserts, "There’ll be more jobs, yes, but at poverty-level wages" when he characterizes the proposed increase in the number of slot machines at several tribal casinos. Yet, he offers no facts to support this assertion. He also neglects to mention that typically, tribal casinos give employees a benefits package rivaling anything the private sector gives to employees, even if unionized. For example, at one tribal casino, the Pechanga Resort and Casino, the employees receive paid medical and dental insurance, a life insurance policy (optional), paid sick days, a 401K plan with employer contribution, paid vacation days, flexible work hours (in some occupations), bereavement leave, annual cash bonuses, a credit union, an annual employee party, reimbursement for educational expense, and so on. Further, the PRC promotes employees based on merit and potential, and allows transfers from one position to another. As well, the PRC has an ombudsman to help resolve employee issues. The PRC hires old people, young people, females, disabled persons, all races and nationalities, and does so without the active discrimination found elsewhere. The list goes on. As a result, the PRC human resources department regularly receives hundreds of job applications. Prof. Brody also fails to note that a labor union tried for weeks to induce PRC employees to sign up for a union, but the employees did not show enough interest. Worse, Prof. Brody misleads the reading public by failing to discuss the Tribal Labor Relations Ordinance in the existing tribal-state gaming compacts. The TLRO allows labor union organizing efforts at tribal casinos. But the labor unions do not like the TLRO because it gives employees a vote on unionization, and provides free speech to the tribal government (representing tribal members) to have a say on unionization. Let the labor unions face voting and free speech. Looking fairly at how tribal casinos operate will help to inform rather than to skew the debate on labor unions versus tribal casinos. Moreover, evidently for narrow reasons, Prof. Brody ignores the function of tribal casinos as economic engines in their communities, creating wide benefit therein. Prof. Brody fails the big test by never mentioning that tribal casinos, like every other business, wish to expand their operation to meet customer demand. A capitalist economic environment thrives on business expansion. Let the tribal casinos do so. The tribes, the local communities, the state, and job-seekers will benefit.

Why is members of the State Assembly negotiating with the Sycuan tribal Indian mafia? I was a Police and Security Officer at Sycuan. This small cash-rich tribe is made up of convicted felons on the tribal council, drug dealers and thugs. After I reported racketeering and their connections to mafia organized crime operatives Sycuan purposely injured and disabled me. Then I was fired. Non-Indian employees have absolutely no legal rights. The Sycuan tribe also fired every employee that discovered they had a major or terminal illness, every one of them. When is someone going to report these civil and human rights abuses? The San Diego Union Tribune refused to report it, but the small Daily Californian did. After they reported this the newspaper was bought out out and reduced to a weekly newspaper. See, Sycuan has a lot of money to destoy who ever they want. They also buy who they want in elected government. Only in America!

Post a comment