A unionization effort involving hundreds of casino workers in Sacramento County has extended into a yearslong legal battle, with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) siding with the workers against Sky River Casino.

The NLRB ruled last week that Sky River Casino engaged in unfair labor practices by threatening employees with job loss if they supported a union, and by interrogating them about their union activities. The ruling stems from a complaint filed by the United Here Local 49 union, which is attempting to organize workers at the casino in Elk Grove.

“This is a notable victory for Sky River workers who are standing up for their rights to a fair workplace,” said nicole Ramirez,a spokesperson for United Here Local 49. “The NLRB’s decision makes it clear that Sky River Casino’s anti-union tactics are illegal.”

Sky River Casino officials have denied any wrongdoing and said they respect their employees’ rights to choose whether or not to unionize. they have said they will appeal the NLRB’s decision.

“We disagree with the NLRB’s findings and believe they are not supported by the evidence,” said Sky River Casino spokesperson Michael Williams. “We have always maintained an open dialog with our employees and have never threatened or retaliated against anyone for their union activities.”

the dispute began in 2022, shortly after the casino opened.United Here Local 49 began organizing workers, and the casino responded with a campaign against the union, including mandatory meetings where managers allegedly threatened employees with job loss if they supported the union.

The NLRB’s ruling orders Sky River Casino to cease and desist from engaging in unfair labor practices, and to post a notice informing employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act. The NLRB will also hold a hearing to determine the appropriate remedy for the casino’s unfair labor practices,which could include back pay and reinstatement for any employees who were retaliated against for supporting the union.

The case is part of a broader trend of unionization efforts in the casino industry, as workers seek better wages, benefits and working conditions. In recent years, workers at casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and other cities have successfully unionized.

Wilton Rancheria Casino Workers Fight for Union recognition

“For us, if we don’t follow our laws as a nation, then what are we?” Hodson said. “We are a nation of laws, and that’s very, very, very significant to us.”

Wilton Rancheria lost its federal recognition – and its autonomy to govern – in 1959, when the California Rancheria Termination Acts were enacted. The tribe regained its recognition in 2009 and today it has more than 1,000 members, many of them in the Sacramento region.

“Tribes are sovereign nations, and after decades of disrespect for their laws, one can understand why they might wish to have their own laws respected,” Kevin Washburn, a professor at the University of California-berkeley School of Law, said in an email.

Where the unionization effort stands

On its website, the union posted a copy of a letter from an arbitrator who found that the casino must comply with the 2017 agreement,and a letter from another who adopted the previous arbitrator’s conclusion. In August 2024, a district court judge denied a motion to dismiss the first arbitrator’s decision. In August the casino filed a motion in federal court to dismiss the second arbitrator’s award.

The union has argued that an election would extend an already prolonged process, and raises opportunities for complications and appeals.

“Making sure that our agreements are honored is really critically important to us, and to our members. It’s, in many ways, what we do – we enter into agreements with employers and we enforce them… We don’t think we should back down in this situation,” Deen said. “The workers have already waited for two years.”

The campaign trickled into Sacramento politics this summer, when Unite Here Local 49 successfully fought the expansion of a tax incentive package for development in the largely-vacant Railyards district, where the Wilton Rancheria-owned soccer team, Sacramento Republic FC, is now building a new stadium. The union organized district residents, who submitted more than 100 petitions protesting the deal, arguing that it required developers to build minimal affordable housing.