FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@cwu226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
Culinary Union, Attorney General Ford and Nevada’s congressional delegation Titus, Horsford, and Lee call on Station Casinos to negotiate a fair contract now after U.S. Supreme Court denial
LIVESTREAM / PHOTOS / BROLL
Las Vegas, NV - On Tuesday, October 27, 2026, Culinary Union leaders and Station Casinos workers were joined by Attorney General Aaron Ford, Congresswoman Dina Titus, Congressman Steven Horsford, and Congresswoman Susie Lee at Culinary Union headquarters to urge Station Casinos to come to the table and negotiate a fair first union contract.
Red Rock Casino workers won. On September 4, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Station Casinos' emergency attempt to block the federal order requiring Red Rock Casino to recognize and negotiate with the Culinary Union and that order is now in effect.
Workers at Red Rock Casino voted to unionize in 2019 and have waited nearly seven years for this moment. For the sake of their employees and the Las Vegas community, Culinary Union and elected leaders say it is time for Station Casinos to move forward and negotiate a fair contract now.
“It’s not every day that Nevada casino workers get to say ‘the Supreme Court is on my side,’” said Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union. “We can say that now because the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court recently stopped the latest legal maneuver by Station Casinos to stop workers from exercising their right to join a union under federal law. Even the U.S. Supreme Court is telling Station Casinos, a Nevada gaming company with a privileged gaming license, that they cannot circumvent the law. So today we’re sending a clear message to Station Casinos: Respect workers and follow the law. The law is on the side of the workers. Leaders of the Nevada Congressional delegation, Dina Titus, Steven Horsford, and Susie Lee are standing with workers, and the next Governor of Nevada, Aaron Ford, is on the side of workers. Station Casinos, It's time to lay down the sword and pick up the pen. We look forward to winning a fair contract.”
“Station Casinos just had the best financial quarter in its history. Workers have helped build that success and securing a fair union contract at Red Rock Casino is how Las Vegas moves forward together,” said Diana Valles, President of the Culinary Union. “Station Casinos workers need a raise. Station Casinos workers at luxury resort properties - Green Valley Ranch and Red Rock - are behind an average of $14,400 on annual wages when compared to Culinary Union members employed on the Las Vegas Strip. This fight has always been based on one simple truth: Station Casinos workers are not second-class workers. Station Casinos did everything they could to bust the Union, but we will never give up. It’s time for a contract, now!”
“The courts have spoken. It is time for Station Casinos to come to the table and negotiate a fair contract now,” said Aaron Ford, Attorney General of Nevada. “On the picket line, in the courtroom, and at the bargaining table, I’m standing in solidarity with Red Rock Casino workers until they get the contract they’ve earned.”
“As a member of the House Labor Caucus, I am proud to stand with Local 226 in their fight for better wages and working conditions,” said Dina Titus, Congresswoman for Nevada’s 1st Congressional District. “The decision from the Supreme Court is a win for the workers at Station Casinos, but there is more to be done. That is why I am advocating for common sense policies like the PRO Act and the Faster Labor Contracts Act.”
“Workers all over Nevada and across the country will see this victory and understand what worker power and union solidarity look like,” said Steven Horsford, Congressman for Nevada’s 4th Congressional District. “As co-chair of the Congressional Labor Caucus, I will continue fighting to make the Faster Labor Contracts Act law, so workers everywhere have the right to a fair contract without having to rely on the Supreme Court to bring employers to the table. This victory is about more than a contract. It’s about unity, fairness, and respect for the hardworking men and women who make Las Vegas run. Every worker deserves to be treated with dignity, have their voice heard, and share in the prosperity they help create.”
“Culinary Union has led the fight to put people over profits and value the workers that build the companies in our great city. Because of the tenacity of the workers at Red Rock Casino, we were thrilled to celebrate this big win,” said Susie Lee, Congresswoman for Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District. “Now, I urge Station Casinos to negotiate in a fair and timely manner to produce a fair contract that is fair, and just. Workers can’t afford to wait another 17 years without a contract.”
By federal court order, Station Casinos must post National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) notices at Red Rock Casino, Boulder Station, and Palace Station that state:
*WE WILL NOT display campaign material during a representation election containing photographs of you without your consent and without a disclaimer stating that the campaign material is not intended to reflect the views of the employees appearing in it.
*WE WILL, to the extent we have not already done so, remove, or request Station Casinos to remove, images of employees that were posted on Station Casinos’ antiunion website beginning in late November 2019 without the employees’ consent.
The notices at Boulder Station and Palace Station also state:
*WE WILL NOT in any like or related manner interfere with, restrain, or coerce you in the exercise of the rights listed above.
The notice at Red Rock Casino also includes the following:
*WE WILL NOT coercively question you about your union membership, activities, sympathies, and/or support for Local Joint Executive Board of Las Vegas affiliated with Unite Here International Union (the Union).
*WE WILL NOT promise, announce, or grant benefits to you in order to discourage you from selecting union representation.
*WE WILL NOT threaten you with the loss, withholding, or withdrawal of benefits if you select union representation.
*WE WILL NOT threaten you with job loss as a result of a strike if you select union representation.
*WE WILL NOT threaten you with unspecified reprisals if you select union representation.
*WE WILL NOT threaten you that selecting a union representative would be futile.
*WE WILL NOT discipline you because of your support for and activities on behalf of the Union.
*WE WILL NOT discriminatorily assign you work because of your support for and activities on behalf of the Union.
*WE WILL NOT fail to recall or reinstate you from laid-off status because of your support for and activities on behalf of the Union.
*WE WILL NOT fail and refuse to recognize and bargain with the Union as the exclusive collective-bargaining representative of our employees in the bargaining unit.
*WE WILL NOT change your terms and conditions of employment without first notifying the Union and giving it an opportunity to bargain.
*WE WILL NOT in any other manner interfere with, restrain, or coerce you in the exercise of the rights listed above.
*WE WILL, before implementing any changes in wages, hours, or other terms and conditions of employment of unit employees, notify and, on request, bargain with the Union as the exclusive collective-bargaining representative of our employees in the bargaining unit.
*WE WILL rescind the changes in the terms and conditions of employment for our unit employees that were unilaterally implemented on June 4, 2020.
Over 5,300 workers unionized at eight Station Casinos properties before the pandemic and since 2021, the company has been subject to one of the largest labor law enforcement cases in U.S. history.
—
ABOUT CULINARY UNION:
Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent 60,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of the casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas. UNITE HERE represents 300,000 workers in gaming, hotel, and food service industries in North America.
The Culinary Union, through the Culinary Health Fund, is one of the largest healthcare consumers in the state. The Culinary Health Fund is sponsored by the Culinary Union and Las Vegas-area employers. It provides health insurance coverage for over 120,000 Nevadans, the Culinary Union’s members, and their dependents.
The Culinary Union is Nevada’s largest Latino/a, Black, AAPI, immigrant organization with members who come from 178 countries and speak over 40 different languages. We are proud to have helped over 18,000 immigrants become American citizens and new voters since 2001 through our affiliate, The Citizenship Project.
The Culinary Union has a diverse membership which is 55% women and 60% immigrants. The demographics of Culinary Union members are approximately: 54% Latino/a, 18% white, 15% Asian, 12% Black, and less than 1% Indigenous Peoples.
Culinary Union members work as: Guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, laundry, and kitchen workers. The Culinary Union has been fighting and winning for working families in Nevada for 90 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
###