Supreme Court Forces Red Rock to Bargain With Union

Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa must recognize and bargain with the Culinary Union. The order follows a US Supreme Court denial of an emergency stay request. Chief Justice John Roberts rejected the application on September 4, closing off Station Casinos' final delay option. A 2022 National Labor Relations Board ruling ordered the bargaining. Regulators found the company's conduct made a fair union election unlikely at the property. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld that order earlier this year. Red Rock, wholly owned by Station Casinos, must now comply while it weighs further legal options.

Supreme Court Denies Red Rock's Emergency Stay Request

Roberts denied Red Rock's emergency application on September 4, according to the Supreme Court docket for case 26A289. The casino filed the request on August 29. It sought to pause the D.C. Circuit's mandate while preparing a formal appeal. The docket shows the application was denied without a written opinion.

Red Rock's petition followed a June ruling from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals affirming the NLRB's bargaining order. The full appeals court later declined to rehear the case in August. With the stay denied, the underlying order takes immediate effect. Red Rock must recognize the union, negotiate in good faith, and post employee notices.

2019 Election Dispute Led to NLRB Bargaining Order

The dispute traces back to a December 2019 union election at Red Rock. Employees voted against Culinary Union representation at the property. The NLRB later found Station Casinos interfered with that vote through unlawful conduct.

Regional Director Cornele Overstreet said the agency's investigation uncovered serious and pervasive violations. An administrative law judge issued a bargaining order in 2022 as a remedy, citing NLRB precedent from a 1969 Supreme Court case.

Such orders can require bargaining even without a formal union vote.

Red Rock must also mail notices to employees who worked there since September 2019.

Station Casinos Complies but Keeps Legal Options Open

A Station Casinos spokesperson confirmed the company would comply with the ruling. "While Station Casinos will comply with any court order, we continue to object to the National Labor Relations Board decision, which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia affirmed," the spokesperson said.

Station Casinos has denied interfering with the 2019 election. The company has also argued its workers already earn more than Culinary Union members at other Las Vegas properties. The stay denial does not end Red Rock's legal options. The casino can still petition the Supreme Court to hear the case on its merits. Until then, the bargaining order remains fully enforceable.