Sky River Casino Legal Timeline

  • 2017

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    Card Check

    • The Wilton Rancheria and Boyd Gaming signed a card check agreement with UNITE HERE in 2017.
    • Pursuant to the agreement, if the majority of eligible workers at Sky River Casino sign union authorization cards, Wilton and Boyd would recognize the union.
    • The agreement also required UNITE HERE to actively support Wilton’s Tribal Gaming Compact.
    • The union did its part and fulfilled its obligation under the agreement by testifying in August, 2018.
    • Click above to see former UNITE HERE Political Director Jack Gribbon’s testimony in support of Wilton’s tribal gaming compact.

  • Super Majority on Cards!

    • Local 49 informed Sky River Casino that a super majority of eligible workers at Sky River Casino signed union authorization cards.
    • The tribe and Boyd did not take steps to count the cards or recognize the union.
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    Summer 2023

  • 2024-2026

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    Two Arbitrators, District Court, and 9th Circuit sided with the union!

    • Instead of following the card check agreement, the tribe argued that a provision of the Compact, the TLRO, superseded the agreement and that honoring the Card Check would violate their sovereignty by violating the TLRO.
    • The Tribe has made this argument in front of 2 arbitrators, 2 district court judges and a 3-judge panel at the 9th Circuit
    • Arbitrators and judges have consistently and unanimously sided with the Union for a number of reasons. Here is a summary of why the Tribe’s position is clearly wrong, and below is a timeline with links to the full decisions.

    Read the Union Agreement Fact Sheet here.

2017 – Card Check

  • The Wilton Rancheria and Boyd Gaming signed a card check agreement with UNITE HERE in 2017.
  • Pursuant to the agreement, if the majority of eligible workers at Sky River Casino sign union authorization cards, Wilton and Boyd would recognize the union
  • The agreement also required UNITE HERE to actively support Wilton’s Tribal Gaming Compact.

2018 – Card Check

The union did its part and fulfilled its obligation under the agreement by testifying in August, 2018.

Click above to see former UNITE HERE Political Director Jack Gribbon’s testimony in support of Wilton’s tribal gaming compact.

Summer 2023 – Super Majority on Cards!

  • Local 49 informed Sky River Casino that a super majority of eligible workers at Sky River Casino signed union authorization cards.
  • The tribe and Boyd did not take steps to count the cards or recognize the union.

Two Arbitrators, District Court, and 9th Circuit sided with the union!

  • Instead of following the card check agreement, the tribe argued that a provision of the Compact, the TLRO, superseded the agreement and that honoring the Card Check would violate their sovereignty by violating the TLRO.
  • The Tribe has made this argument in front of 2 arbitrators, 2 district court judges and a 3-judge panel at the 9th Circuit
  • Arbitrators and judges have consistently and unanimously sided with the Union for a number of reasons. Here is a summary of why the Tribe’s position is clearly wrong, and below is a timeline with links to the full decisions.

Read the Union Agreement Fact Sheet here.