Indian Gaming > Union Organizer: Tribal casinos not fair to workers

November 12, 2004

Union Organizer: Tribal casinos not fair to workers

"Anyone who believes these casinos aren't making big profits is living in a fairy-tale world. Just walk into any of them: Casino profits far exceed those of any taconite operation, paper mill or sugar beet processor.

The jobs created by these casinos generally pay poverty wages, averaging from $5.15 to $7 an hour. Try feeding a family on that.

Which leads any schoolchild to conclude: How do you end poverty while paying workers poverty wages?

It's ironic that the very poverty figures cited by tribal and gaming officials in order to expand gaming and combat poverty include thousands of people working in these very casinos.

The best anti-poverty program would be a union contract for casino workers. Between 14,000 to 20,000 casino workers are employed in Minnesota. None of these casino workers have any rights whatsoever on the job. They are not protected by state labor laws, federal labor laws, the National Labor Relations Act or tribal laws. This is a disgrace!"

Get the Story:
Alan L. Maki: Pay casino workers living wages (The Grand Forks Herald 11/12)